Chapter 448: Chapter 443: Hidden Chaos, The Myriad States of Life
A Sect Leader is no merciful man.
As the former Hall Master of the Medicine Hall, Gu An might have had a soft spot for the hardworking and ambitious, but at his core, he was a competent man of power who always put his interests first.
Arranging for someone to give Yang Chan a bowl of Qi Nourishing Soup had been a simple matter of saying the word. It didn’t affect him in the slightest, nor did it cost him anything. Meanwhile, it allowed him to appear magnanimous and dedicated to nurturing disciples, thus improving his reputation.
However, it was just like the incident with Yang Chan’s spot for White Jade City. When those Intermediate Pharmacists caused a fuss, he had countermeasures ready. If Elder Hua hadn’t resolved everything back then, he would have stepped in himself. Afterwards, he still found ways to make trouble for those Intermediate Pharmacists within the scope of his duties, such as through the allocation of Spirit Medicine resources.
He only had to lift a finger, and those Intermediate Pharmacists naturally understood the problem. They later came to see him individually.
In the Medicine Hall, he was the Hall Master; naturally, he was responsible for everything.
Later, when Former Sect Leader Liu Xuan went out to personally confront the Three Major Sects, he entrusted the Cyan Yuan Sect to Gu An’s care, so he was naturally familiar with the entire process.
Now, he controlled the entire Cyan Yuan Sect and ensured its stable development. He had certainly done many things to achieve this, but some of those deeds were hidden in the shadows, unknown to anyone.
’Traveling doesn’t have a huge impact on me right now, but without Earth Fire for alchemy, my elixirs are just a finite resource being consumed.’
’I have enough of a stockpile to last a year or two, but I’ll have to see how things go. I’d rather the war not last too long.’
Wars lasting for several years, or even decades, were quite normal, but the Sect forces wouldn’t participate for that long. After all, the combined power of the gathered Sect disciples was nothing to scoff at.
Especially with so many masters among them. Faced with such a force, the Court could only try to placate them; it wouldn’t dare take a hard-line stance.
This time, the Martial Saint Ancestor had forced the Major Sects to send so many disciples to the battlefield. And while he may have appeased those who remained behind in the Sects, the ones who actually came to fight had not been placated at all.
There wouldn’t be any problems in the short term, but issues were bound to arise in the long run.
After all, the people from the Major Sects were far from weak. In fact, their combined masters might even outnumber those of the Court.
If pushed too far, this force was capable of overthrowing the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty.
Yang Chan could see all this. More importantly, the Major Sects still maintained contact with one another. Being strong-armed by the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty’s Martial Saint had actually improved their relations, because now, they were all on the same side.
Their enemy wasn’t just the Jin Meng Empire, but also the Great Zhou Imperial Family. The only reason things hadn’t erupted was because the Imperial Family had the Martial Saint Ancestor on their side.
’Under normal circumstances, this will last one or two years at most. Otherwise, the border is bound to fall into chaos.’
In their respective states, the Major Sects were all Overlord-Level forces. Their disciples held themselves in high regard, and even the Government Offices dared not offend them. The two sides existed in a state of relative equilibrium.
At a time like this, why would they be willing to die for the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty?
These thoughts surfaced in Yang Chan’s mind. With relatively little to do on the road, he had plenty of time for such reflections.
He had prepared plenty of books related to being a Pharmacist, but he didn’t carry many of them openly. This was a mission to support the front lines, after all, not a pleasure trip.
He had many books stored within his Profound Yin Hanging Bead, but it wasn’t convenient to take them out right now. After all, the carriage window was open, and he could see people walking outside—not just from the Cyan Yuan Sect, but also the young men of Qing State and travelers from other regions.
The closer they got to Lan State, the more people they saw. Since everyone was heading toward Jinyun City to support the front, it was only natural that their routes would converge.
Yang Chan certainly wasn’t going to pull out books he wasn’t supposed to be carrying and create trouble for himself. It was highly probable that no one was paying him any mind, but Yang Chan was a cautious person. It was better not to expose anything.
There was always someone paying extra close attention, and that meant trouble—the kind that sneaks up on you.
He was still on the road; he certainly didn’t want any trouble to find him now.
After all, if the situation took a turn for the worse, he was prepared to flee at a moment’s notice. It was better to be noticed by as few people as possible. Besides, not too far off, the Inner Refining Elder assigned by Gu An was keeping a constant watch over his safety.
Gu An had promised that if he could return safely, he would take him along to the Merak Sacred Land. For a master at the Inner Master level, this was an attractive offer.
He hadn’t been chosen last time, and while his chances for the next opportunity weren’t low, there could always be unforeseen circumstances. With a promise from Gu An, the current Sect Leader, however, such "accidents" wouldn’t occur.
Yang Chan knew this as well, because Gu An had told him.
If the situation turned sour, the two of them were to escape together, heading directly for the Merak Sacred Land.
The reason for not returning to the Cyan Yuan Sect was to avoid facing the consequences from the Imperial Dynasty later on.
Thus, this served as an extra safeguard for Yang Chan. But at the same time, he had to be even more careful about his actions; after all, the other man was also an Inner Master.
’Although the man’s cultivation is weaker than mine, his Spiritual Sense is far sharper than an ordinary person’s. I still can’t act without restraint.’
’Besides, with an Inner Master around, I can let him handle any problems that come up first while I continue to lay low.’
’After all, I’m currently just an Intermediate Pharmacist at the External Refining Steel Rebar stage. I’m not good at fighting and my Combat Power is low, so I need to stay in the rear.’
On the road, he also saw Intermediate Pharmacist Di Qiu and his group, their faces dark. Di Qiu’s Alchemy Ability was stronger than Gao Yuanlong’s, but Gao Yuanlong was a smooth talker and had been taken to the Merak Sacred Land by Former Sect Leader Liu Xuan.
He had been left behind and was now being forced to the front lines. Even though he was only going to the rear, his expression was still incredibly grim.
After all, the Intermediate Pharmacist who had gone with the second wave of conscripts had already died in battle—or, to be more precise, had been assassinated.
Their situation was worlds apart from those who had gone to the Merak Sacred Land. It was only natural that their faces were all grim, their brows etched with worry.
After all, the journey was far from safe.
’The more chaotic the times, the more clearly one can see human nature. This is the true human condition.’
Yang Chan had seen many people’s faces. He had seen how they changed in different situations. It was in times of hardship that one could best see a person’s true nature, for the choices made under duress are a person’s most essential ones.
In the long procession, he could see once-spirited Cyan Yuan Sect Disciples who were now downcast, as well as Servant Disciples who had once struggled to survive, now wearing looks of utter despair.
These were the results of the past few wars between the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty and the Jin Meng Empire. Too many people had died. Even Elders at the Inner Refining Grandmaster Level had fallen on the battlefield, and the majority of the casualties were just ordinary people.
The common folk looked even more bewildered. They couldn’t see the road ahead, nor did they know how to escape their predicament. In the end, they could only follow the masses, trudging forward in a daze.
"The situation on the front lines is urgent! Everyone, pick up the pace!"
A group of armored cavalry galloped past. They were soldiers sent to hurry the procession along, clearly dissatisfied with the current pace.
After all, this wasn’t a pleasure trip; it was a mission to support the front.
Hearing this, the people from the Major Sects merely watched with cold eyes as the cavalry rode past, completely unmoved, as if they hadn’t heard a thing.
"The situation on the front lines is urgent! We ask you all to please pick up the pace!"
Only after the first shout did the soldier seem to catch on, pointedly adding a polite phrase.
But the Major Sects had no intention of listening. Their pace remained the same. Their excuse was consideration for the commoners’ physiques; otherwise, many might die on the road.
This was the official story that the Major Sects had agreed upon. After all, they were all so humane; they couldn’t possibly let commoners die on the road.
There weren’t many Sects left that could achieve such a feat. The Court should thank the Major Sects; after all, they were adding considerable Combat Power to the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty.
"Ahead—"
One of the cavalrymen started to shout again but was immediately stopped by the man beside him.
He had clearly assessed the situation.
He had clearly assessed the situation, especially after feeling the gazes of numerous streams of Spiritual Power. They were the stares of the Inner Masters from the Major Sects, a palpable pressure that was impossible to ignore.
Faced with such stares, someone in the cavalry troop had already realized the danger, which was why he had stopped his companion from shouting again.
These Sect disciples were not commoners who could be ordered around at will.
If the Sect disciples were displeased, they would simply ignore the orders. If they became annoyed, they would likely strike out from the shadows. After all, in a situation like this, the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty would just turn a blind eye.
To a certain extent, letting the Sects vent their anger was actually a good thing for the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty. It might even buy them a longer period of stability.
The Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty was currently a powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
After a brief discussion, the passing cavalrymen stopped their urging. One of them rode off to deliver a message, while the others continued to lead the way.
Yang Chan watched this scene unfold from his carriage. He wasn’t surprised; in fact, he found it perfectly normal.
"Pharmacist Yang, it’s getting late. We’ll be stopping up ahead to make camp for the night."
A short while later, Fang Yun, the Pharmacist’s Assistant driving the carriage, spoke up.
He had seen people stopping up ahead and knew they wouldn’t be traveling any further today.
The arrangements had been the same for the past few days, so Fang Yun was used to the routine. All he had to do was follow what the other Cyan Yuan Sect disciples were doing.
They were positioned in the middle of the column, so they didn’t have to worry too much. It was a relatively safe spot.
Although few reckless fools would dare to cause trouble on the road, not with such a large force gathered, only people from the Jin Meng Empire would dare attack them.
And the likelihood of a force large enough to handle all of them managing to cross the front lines and reach the rear was extremely low.
The people at the front weren’t blind. If they let such a large force slip through to the rear, the front lines would have been breached by the Jin Meng Empire long ago.
Things hadn’t reached that point yet.
"Alright, I understand."
Yang Chan glanced at the setting sun. Sunsets were a common sight on the road; with so much idle time in the carriage, it was easy to notice.
Back in Yuanqing Courtyard, on the other hand, his schedule had been packed. He cultivated diligently every single day, never stopping, constantly improving his strength and deepening his foundation. He had rarely paid attention to the passage of time, only noticing it when the sky was about to grow dark.
For some reason, Yang Chan found it amusing. It seemed he had much more free time on the road.
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