Chapter 450: Chapter 445: The Cruel War, and You Will Find Out Just How Proactive They Are
By the time Yang Chan and the others entered Jinyun City, it was already late.
People from all over converged on Jinyun City, filling the border city with a great number of people.
Normally, the city wasn’t this crowded. Only during a war between two nations would so many people from all corners of the land gather here.
The soldiers who had previously guarded Jinyun City had long been replaced by new recruits; the war was so brutal that most of the original garrison had already died on the battlefield.
As he approached Jinyun City, Yang Chan could clearly feel the oppressive urgency in the air. It was different from the tension he’d felt during the Sect conflicts or the Crown Prince’s rebellion. This was a grim, deathly atmosphere, and he could sense a tragic solemnity emanating from the city’s defenders.
It was a unique aura one carried only after experiencing the cruelty of the battlefield, and it was profoundly saddening.
"Of the men who march to war, how many ever return?" Such was the reality of the battlefield.
A group goes to war, and only a few return alive. The person you were talking to one second could be gone the next.
Yang Chan did not like this atmosphere at all. The tragic solemnity blanketing Jinyun City was too much.
After entering Jinyun City, they found that the quarters assigned to the major Sects were all separate.
Sect members were different from ordinary soldiers. They wouldn’t be mixed in with the army on the battlefield. Instead, they were assigned a specific area to defend, with each major Sect responsible for its own arrangements.
The major Sects wouldn’t take orders from anyone else. After all, they weren’t subordinates of the military, and their relationship with the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty itself was one of equals.
If the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty tried to send them to their deaths, they would retaliate with a devastating blow without hesitation.
As both sides operated within mutually acceptable boundaries, the current arrangement was established.
All the major Sects made their move, but they did so by dividing the territory among themselves.
Yang Chan and the others entered a large estate. The surrounding courtyards were all occupied by members of the Cyan Yuan Sect, while Yang Chan and the other Pharmacists were quartered in the center—the most heavily protected area. This was also where injured disciples would be brought.
No one could guarantee they wouldn’t be wounded, and when that happened, they would need a Pharmacist’s treatment and time to recuperate.
This, of course, required the safest possible location.
"Pharmacist Yang, this is your room. Liu Qing and I are in the rooms on either side of you. If you need anything at all, just let us know!"
Fang Yun said with fawning eagerness after they arrived at their assigned quarters.
Back in the Cyan Yuan Sect, he had constantly tried to curry favor with Yang Chan. Lacking a patron, he had hoped to make Yang Chan his backer, but he never succeeded. To be more precise, Yang Chan paid him no mind, usually leaving such matters for Han Bingyu to handle.
Even when he made his overtures, he had to go through Han Bingyu first. And Han Bingyu, aware of Yang Chan’s indifference, naturally used her position to put Fang Yun to work for her.
Han Bingyu needed many people to gather intelligence, so she wasn’t about to let someone who proactively sought them out go to waste. She put him to use immediately.
Fang Yun did receive some benefits, but it was a far cry from what he had envisioned.
What he truly wanted was to be valued by Yang Chan and receive more of his help, both in Martial Arts Cultivation and in the way of a Pharmacist.
But back then, he couldn’t get past Han Bingyu. Now that she wasn’t here, he saw an opportunity.
He had been putting on a show and fawning over him the entire journey.
"Yes, alright."
Yang Chan nodded.
"It’s been a long day of travel; we’re all tired. Go get some rest. Make sure you use a thick blanket tonight so you don’t get sick."
"Starting tomorrow, we’ll have a lot on our plates."
Yang Chan nodded. He had, of course, seen how Fang Yun had been acting throughout the entire trip.
For an ordinary person, his performance was passable. But only just passable; it was nowhere near the standard he required.
Still, Yang Chan said nothing. ’As a Pharmacist’s Assistant, this is part of his job, I suppose.’
"Alright, thank you for your concern, Pharmacist Yang!"
Fang Yun nodded at his words and left immediately.
He knew how to read a room; it was obviously not appropriate for him to linger. He saw that someone else was still waiting. ’In fact,’ he thought, ’if I were a woman, I’d probably be waiting too.’
After all, the last person to get ahead by doing this was a prime example. She had already been promoted to Elite Disciple, had nearly mastered all the relevant pharmaceutical skills, and would probably advance to Basic Level Pharmacist before long.
And the source of it all was the very man standing before them.
That was why he, too, was acting this way.
He wasn’t asking for much—just a few scraps would be enough.
"Pharmacist Yang, they didn’t put any blankets in my room, and it’s so cold now... could I possibly stay in here with you for the night?"
After Fang Yun left, Liu Qing looked up at Yang Chan and spoke in a timid voice.
She looked like a homeless girl begging to be taken in.
Liu Qing wasn’t strikingly beautiful at first glance, but her features grew on you. She had what was considered a classic bone structure for a beauty; it was elegant and pleasing to the eye, making her seem more attractive the longer you looked.
Combined with her current expression, she was the very picture of pitiable charm.
It was obvious that this young woman from an ordinary background wanted to take a shortcut. Someone else had already successfully walked this path, so naturally, she wanted to try her luck as well.
Furthermore, she was slightly older than Yang Chan. Only by relying on him did she feel she had any chance at a future.
Otherwise, breaking through to the External Refining Copper Skin stage and becoming an Elite Disciple would be immensely difficult for her.
She had very few Cultivation Resources. Without them, one either had to risk life and limb for opportunities or walk the path that Han Bingyu had trod.
But even for that, a path had to be open to her.
And Yang Chan was the Heaven-Reaching Dao she saw laid out before her.
When Han Bingyu was around, she didn’t stand a chance. The woman outclassed her in every respect. Liu Qing was not particularly... well-endowed. She was about the size of an orange, small enough to fit in one hand.
Compared to Han Bingyu’s bountiful pomelos, the difference was simply too vast.
She couldn’t compete in terms of status, looks, or background. But now, this was an excellent and extremely rare opportunity for her.
With Han Bingyu gone, she had a chance. Now that it was right in front of her, she naturally had to make her move.
One truly learns how proactive women can be when they’re around an exceptional man.
"I’ll have someone send another thick blanket to your room in a moment. We have a lot to do, so get some rest."
Yang Chan replied as if he were completely oblivious to her implications, a textbook clueless response.
"It’s getting late. Go back and get some rest."
Yang Chan didn’t wait for Liu Qing to speak again, simply dismissing her.
After becoming an Intermediate Pharmacist, he had experienced this sort of thing more times than he could count.
Gu Shitong, who had some connection to Gu An, had been extremely forward as well. Then there were the others—women sent to him by various people, each one a remarkable beauty. He had paid none of them any mind.
After all, he had even turned down a woman like Commandery Princess Lan Yue, to say nothing of anyone else.
For him, avoiding trouble was better than anything else.
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