Chapter 635: Chapter 193: Shocking Change in Qiulong County! The Name of Fan Wu Known to All! (17,000-word Mega Update)_3
It was as if a thousand-catty boulder pressed down on everyone’s heart.
They felt they might open their eyes tomorrow,
and see the entire Dynasty plunged into an irreversible chaos of war.
The mere thought of it was truly horrifying!
It made their scalps tingle!
After all, if the Great Zhou Dynasty fell into the warfare they anticipated, they, as part of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, would surely not be able to escape. Waging war was not as simple as capturing evil spirits or heretics.
When the Imperial Astronomical Bureau captured evil spirits or heretics, even if they lost manpower, at most they would lose one or two people per operation.
Or maybe five or six people.
If any operation resulted in more than ten casualties, it was considered a heavy loss.
But war...
Deaths would come in droves, by the hundreds or thousands, and it probably wouldn’t stop there!
Moreover, warfare would certainly be accompanied by resentment filling the skies, especially from those who harbored grievances and died in the chaos, which would transform into terrifying evil spirits!
If those evil spirits continued to wreak havoc, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty would truly be plunged into a purgatorial nightmare.
How could this make them happy?
They were numb!
...
Fan Wu and the others didn’t spend much time in Guyuan County; they left as soon as noon arrived.
A few days after Fan Wu and his company had gone, the Great Zhou Dynasty’s intelligence network finally recovered.
All that had transpired within the Imperial City during this period spread throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, shocking countless people and frightening just as many.
"There’s not going to be a war, is there?" A merchant of the Great Zhou Dynasty said with a worried expression, "If there’s a war, those of us with a little spare cash but no power or background... we’re probably going to be the first to suffer, aren’t we?"
"Who can say for sure? I heard that the Zhenhai King once rebelled before, but the Great Emperor didn’t have him executed. That gave him the chance to come back now, more powerful than before."
"Ah, what are we to do? After such a struggle to build a little wealth, could it all be lost in a war?"
"You’re worried about your silver, but you might not even have your life by then!"
"Should we go seek the protection of the Great Clans?"
"Right! The Great Clans have intricate influences within the Dynasty, and they certainly wield some power, possibly even the ways of cultivation! If we seek their protection, maybe we can save our own skins."
"But to seek the protection of these Great Clans, don’t you have to be qualified? Perhaps all the assets we’ve worked for over the years would have to be handed over, a seventy percent share to them, and still at their mercy!"
"We actually have it good; at least we have choices. The majority are those without any power to choose."
"..."
Those who lacked the ability to make choices in the impending chaos were naturally the ordinary common folk. For those who were ordinary, or even poor, under such circumstances, they could only go with the flow.
They were like rootless duckweed in the tide, helplessly drifting wherever the waves pushed them, with no agency of their own, only able to passively accept everything.
Furthermore, for most of the impoverished commoners, the changing of dynasties wasn’t their chief concern.
Because no change of rulers could alter the fate of these people.
They could only hope that the impending military disaster would not affect them too severely.
But if it did really affect them,
they would have no choice but to lie down and take it.
On the official roads of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were now more people coming and going than ever before. Most were carrying large and small bundles, either on their backs or hauled by donkeys and carts.
These people were all preparing to find a remote and quiet place to take refuge. After all, during a war, remote areas were less likely to be attacked, right? Aren’t the targets usually towns and counties?
The crowds on the official roads hurried on their way.
No one had the leisure to pay attention to anything else.
They could only keep moving as quickly as possible, almost wishing for an extra pair of legs from their parents so they could run faster.
"Compassion, compassion," Xing Fengzi sighed as he watched this unfold, "I wonder if His Highness Zhenhai King really intends to rebel. Does he not see the pain and suffering of the common folk? Would that make him reconsider his ambitions?"
Xing Fengzi found his powers to be so insignificant at such times. What was the use of his ability to exorcise evil spirits? Practicing cultivation... could it really save all the people in the world?
These thoughts emerged in his mind, filling him with dejection, yet he knew that no matter how much he pondered, his power was not enough to reverse the tides.
Perhaps this, too, was a form of helplessness.
In the eyes of ordinary people, cultivators, seen as nearly omnipotent, were also powerless in the face of such situations, and they, too, had to go with the flow.
Step by step.
Watching and waiting.
"How could those harboring wild ambitions possibly give up such a bold idea?" Over the past few days, Liu Feng had become familiar with Fan Wu and the others. He spoke up, "Anyone with greed in their heart will not forsake such a perfect opportunity."
