The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 280: Chapter 277: Birth of the Divine Weapon

Lingzhou City was a far cry from what it once was.

The street vendors had dwindled, and there were only a few pedestrians.

"Haa... I’m finally back."

A young man with a saber on his back arrived at the city gate.

Just as he was about to enter Lingzhou City, he was stopped by the guards at the gate.

"Do you have any papers?"

The young man took out a Black Gold Token from his robes.

When the city gate guard saw the Token, his face drained of color. "My lord."

This was the unique Token belonging to the Demon-slaying Guard General of Lingzhou.

This young man was, of course, Bai Yuan, who had returned from Dingzhou.

Bai Yuan put away the Token and walked straight into the city, leaving the city gate guards whispering amongst themselves behind him.

Before long, he arrived at a steamed bun stall.

Old Dong had once bought buns from this stall and said they were good, so this time, Bai Yuan made a special trip to try them.

"Shopkeeper, a steamer of buns."

"Sir, our buns are large. I’m afraid you won’t be able to finish them all by yourself."

"It’s fine."

Bai Yuan waved his hand.

Seeing that the young man had made up his mind, the shopkeeper said no more.

The young man had a saber on his back, and the shopkeeper was just a small business owner. He couldn’t afford to provoke these Jianghu people who lived by the blade.

The last person to eat a whole steamer of buns was a gentleman who liked to wear gray robes.

But he hadn’t been here in a long time.

Before long, the shopkeeper brought over a steamer of piping hot buns.

Just as the shopkeeper had said, the buns of the north weren’t like the small soup dumplings of Jiangnan. A single bun was as big as half a face; even a burly man could never finish a whole steamer.

Bai Yuan picked up a bun and began to eat it in large bites.

’For the past several months in Dingzhou, it’s been nothing but roasted meat. Even if the wild game tastes good, you can’t stand eating it for months on end.’

The shopkeeper watched as Bai Yuan devoured half the steamer in the time it takes an incense stick to burn, his jaw nearly hitting the floor in shock.

While Bai Yuan was feasting, two middle-aged men at another table in the bun stall were whispering to each other.

"Did you hear? There’s chaos over in Dingzhou. A lot of people died, it seems..."

"Shh! Do you have a death wish? You can’t talk about that."

A slightly chubby middle-aged man raised a finger to his lips, cutting off the other man.

Although the Xuan Yang Dynasty was known for its open atmosphere, Lingzhou City was a place where dragons and fish swam together. If you crossed people from one of the powerful families, you could easily get yourself killed.

Bai Yuan’s eating pace didn’t falter in the slightest.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the entire steamer of buns had made its way into the temple of his five viscera.

Under the shopkeeper’s gaze of utter astonishment, he tossed down one tael of silver and got up to leave.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper hurried to call out, "Sir, your change!"

Bai Yuan replied, "It was delicious. Consider it a tip."

...

The Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office was a busy place.

The more chaotic the times, the harder it was to be an official.

The Demon Slayer Guard and the Patrol Office had all become workaholics, with almost no time to go home.

Bai Yuan arrived before the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

He had originally planned to return directly to Huanglong Prefecture, but after hearing the middle-aged men’s words, he decided to make a trip to the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office after all.

After all, he was still the General of the Lingzhou Demon Slayer Guard and the Chief Constable of the Patrol Office.

As he stepped through the main gate of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office, an Official who was on his way out recognized him.

"My lord! What brings you here? This humble one has been hoping and praying..."

The Official was about to unleash a torrent of flattery when Bai Yuan cut him off. "Why is everyone in such a hurry?"

"Reporting to you, my lord. Lord Jiang ordered us to strengthen patrols north of Ling Province."

"Good. Go on."

Bai Yuan nodded.

’It seems Jiang Changping already knows about the situation in the Northern Territory. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be sending the Demon Slayer Guard to patrol the north at a time like this.’

He had been cut off from the world for some time and naturally knew nothing of outside events.

’It’s unlikely these Officials know the inside story.’

Bai Yuan planned to find his deputy, Yin Cai, and ask about the situation.

Just as he walked through the gate, he happened to run into Jiang Changping, who was on his way out.

Jiang Changping looked at Bai Yuan, his expression shifting from surprise to delight. "Nephew Bai, you’ve finally returned!"

Bai Yuan had informed him before leaving for Dingzhou, so he knew where Bai Yuan had gone.

He was currently at his wit’s end over the matter in Dingzhou, and Bai Yuan’s arrival was a godsend. He could finally share some of the burden.

Ever since Dong Wanjun left for Xiangzhou, the position of Lingzhou General had remained vacant.

Du Qinghui was the Shuofang Jiedu Envoy and naturally wasn’t just in charge of Ling Province. He had left for Qingzhou a month ago, leaving Jiang Changping as the only one in charge in Lingzhou.

In times of peace, Jiang Changping would have been more than happy with this arrangement.

But now, with the chaotic situation in Dingzhou threatening to spill over into Ling Province, Jiang Changping was naturally overwhelmed and stretched thin.

After several upheavals, Ling Province was short on capable people.

Looking at Jiang Changping’s haggard appearance, Bai Yuan couldn’t help but ask, "Lord Jiang, what in the world happened?"

Jiang Changping looked somewhat surprised. "You don’t know?"

Bai Yuan shook his head.

Jiang Changping’s expression grew grave. "The Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers have appeared in Dingzhou."

Bai Yuan’s breath hitched.

He was utterly shocked.

He had thought that something like the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers—an existence almost equivalent to a nuclear bomb—would have a long cooldown period. He never expected it to be activated again after only a few months.

"Fortunately, its power was not as great this time as it was before. Shangguan Yang, the Sect Leader of the Celestial Profound Sect, was severely injured, and the Seven Prefectures of Dingzhou have already fallen."

Bai Yuan fell silent.

’I can’t believe something this big happened so soon after I left.’

At the same time, he felt even more fortunate about the decision he’d made.

’The Celestial Profound Sect suffered disastrous losses this time. They’ll probably have trouble contending with the Demon Sect from now on.’

Jiang Changping took a deep breath. "I’ve received a secret message from Lord Du, ordering us to head north and resist the enemy."

’I’ll bet Du Qinghui never mentioned me in that letter,’ Bai Yuan thought. ’Jiang Changping just added that part himself.’

’Still, I am his subordinate, so it’s only right that I follow orders.’

’Besides, if Dingzhou falls, Ling Province will surely descend into chaos.’

’Better to repel the enemy from a thousand miles away than to let the war spread to Huanglong Prefecture.’

’The only thing is, I just got back from Dingzhou, and now I have to go right back.’

Jiang Changping clapped Bai Yuan on the shoulder encouragingly. "Nephew Bai, the opportunity to win glory and establish your name is right in front of you. You must seize it."

"..."

Bai Yuan really wanted to ask, ’Do you think I was born yesterday?’

...

Ling Province mobilized quickly.

This time, eighty percent of the manpower from the Demon Slayer Guard and the Patrol Office was transferred to Dingzhou, along with a full ten thousand soldiers from the City Guard Army.

Such a large-scale deployment showed Jiang Changping’s determination to keep the war from spreading beyond Dingzhou.

There was no Northern Garrison Army anymore; every region had to rely on its own strength.

Compared to those Prefects who cowered in their Prefecture Magistrate’s Offices, Jiang Changping was undoubtedly a cut above the rest.

A seemingly endless column of troops marched along an Official Road in Dingzhou.

Although Dingzhou’s Official Roads had fallen into disrepair from years of neglect, they were, at least, still roads.

The soldiers from Ling Province had all changed into thick, padded jackets.

Although ten thousand men seemed like a large force, the majority were actually logistics troops with little combat capability.

Bai Yuan and Jiang Changping rode at the very front of the column.

This was all the manpower Ling Province could muster.

Someone had to stay behind to manage affairs in Ling Province; they couldn’t all be brought to Dingzhou. This was another reason Jiang Changping had been so happy to see Bai Yuan.

Many officials had died in Ling Province over the past few years, and official posts there had become hot potatoes.

Whenever officials from the south heard they were being transferred to Ling Province, they would go crying to their parents and pull strings at the Court to get out of it.

This led to an awkward situation: nearly thirty percent of official positions in Ling Province were now vacant, resulting in a severe shortage of manpower. Unwittingly, Bai Yuan had become the number-three figure in Ling Province, second only to Prefect Jiang Changping and the newly arrived vice-prefects.

"Lord Jiang, what exactly are the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers?"

Bai Yuan asked, feigning a casual air.

Fear filled Jiang Changping’s eyes. "To be honest, I know very little myself. I only know that they are born of nature, not forged by human hands."

Bai Yuan nodded.

’It seems the Xuan Yang Court is intentionally suppressing information about the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers.’

’To the point that even a high-ranking official like Jiang Changping doesn’t know the truth.’

Just as the two fell into silence, a group of people approached them on the Official Road up ahead.

"Nephew Yang?"

Jiang Changping recognized Yang Fangyu at the head of the group with a single glance.

A moment later, Yang Fangyu was before Jiang Changping. "Greetings, Lord Jiang."

He was here in his capacity as the Prefect of Huanglong Prefecture, and as Jiang Changping’s subordinate, it was his duty to come and greet him.

"Good. Very good."

Jiang Changping nodded at Yang Fangyu with satisfaction.

Of all the Prefects in Ling Province, the one he admired most was Yang Fangyu.

"Lord Jiang, why don’t we head to He Ming Prefecture first?"

Yang Fangyu asked tentatively.

Jiang Changping shook his head. "I have already chosen a place to make camp."

If he went to He Ming Prefecture, it would be tantamount to announcing that Ling Province had allied with the Yang Family.

With the current turmoil in Dingzhou, Jiang Changping was not about to pick a side lightly.

Hearing this, Yang Fangyu felt a pang of disappointment.

However, he understood Jiang Changping’s reasoning. He cupped his fists toward Jiang Changping, then reined his horse around to fall in beside Bai Yuan, positioning himself exactly half a horse’s length behind the Prefect.

A slight smile touched the corners of Jiang Changping’s mouth.

’The Yang Family certainly handles things appropriately.’

’Though Yang Fangyu is a member of the Yang Family, he is first and foremost an official of Ling Province. Before I arrived in Dingzhou, it was natural for him to work for his family’s interests. But now that I am here, he must fulfill his duty as the Prefect of Huanglong Prefecture.’

Of course, this was all the result of a prior discussion between Yang Fangyu and Yang Jiuyan.

It was nothing more than a strategy to use Yang Fangyu as an intermediary to leave a good impression on Jiang Changping.

Yang Fangyu shot Bai Yuan a discreet glance. "When did you get back to Lingzhou?"

"Would you believe me if I said yesterday?"

"..."

Yang Fangyu continued, "Things in Dingzhou have gotten more and more chaotic since you left. But that kid, Lu Yu, he’s got some skills. He actually convinced the Fang Family to ally with us. If he hadn’t, the Yang Family would be in a really tight spot right now."

Bai Yuan was surprised to hear that.

’So Lu Yu has really made something of himself.’

’The Cao Bang and the Jiangnan Commerce Association had already allied. Of the three remaining powers, the Celestial Profound Sect was the strongest. The Fang Family’s most logical choice should have been to ally with the Celestial Profound Sect to take down the Yang Family.’

’But somehow, Lu Yu managed to cast some spell on Fang Yan, convincing him to abandon the Celestial Profound Sect and choose the Yang Family instead.’

’Looking at it now, though, the decision was incredibly wise. If the Fang Family had allied with the Celestial Profound Sect, they would have been dragged down as well and suffered disastrous losses.’

’By saving Lu Yu, I indirectly helped both the Yang and Fang Families. It truly is a cycle of cause and effect.’