Chapter 195: The City of Shuntian
Xiao Nanfeng was unable to stop the decay of his avatar. This sinister red moon had to be hiding some secret that he had yet to discover.
As his main body continued studying scripture, his avatar slowly walked out of the cottage and toward the plaza where the Xiao Academy was located. The students had just undergone a particularly demanding exam that tested the knowledge they had learned over the past year.
The eight hundred or so children stood quietly as their tutors and Zheng Qian pored over the results of their examination.
When they saw Xiao Nanfeng heading their way, Zheng Qian handed him a list.
"Benefactor, the results of the examination are out. Eight hundred students passed," Zheng Qian said, smiling.
"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng scanned the list.
"These eight hundred students grew up in relatively wealthy households and had been tutored in their childhood. It was only later that they encountered calamity and became refugees. They've suffered a great deal and have worked particularly hard in their studies this past year. Their results prove that," Zheng Qian stated, pointing at the students.
Xiao Nanfeng nodded, satisfied. "Those who have suffered know how precious an ordinary life can be."
"The youngest among them is thirteen, and the oldest is sixteen. They're all still kids." Zheng Qian smiled.
"Even so. I was no older when I escaped from Marquis Xiao's estate. I trust in their abilities."
Xiao Nanfeng's praise clearly excited them all.
"Students, I'm very glad that you've all passed this examination. I have some affairs that I'd like for you to handle. Is anyone willing to take on this responsibility?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, smiling.
"Of course, Principal!" the students chorused.
"Very well. I'll leave it to you, then."
"Principal, might I ask about this task?" One of the tutors stepped forward.
"Benefactor, these are tutors for the children that I picked out from among my colleagues. They're all excellent administrators and scholars. I haven't informed them about any specifics; they've grown fond of the children over the course of their studies together, and they're worried that the students' lives might be in danger," Zheng Qian explained.
"A curiosity on my part," the tutor replied immediately. "You've saved us all, Benefactor, and we are yours to command."
"I'd like for all of you to become officials," Xiao Nanfeng replied.
"Officials?" everyone gasped.
"That's right. Mr. Zheng and I will be leading all of you to a certain place to serve as officials there. I ask that you all cooperate with Mr. Zheng, learn about the people's livelihood and logistics in the area, and train these eight hundred students to become qualified officials," Xiao Nanfeng stated.
"Of course, President!" The tutors were surprised by the request, but they agreed without any hesitation.
"Benefactor, the ship is ready. We may set off at any time," Zheng Qian reported.
"In that case, let's leave at once."
"Of course!" Zheng Qian nodded.
Zheng Qian informed everyone about the specifics of the plan as they headed toward the harbor.
The Isle of Xiao had been locked down from the outside world and was shrouded by a formation of fog. Everyone got onto the ship and hid in the cabins as it sailed out from the Isle of Xiao, along with Xiao Nanfeng's avatar.
Simultaneously, Xiao Nanfeng's main body walked out of his cottage, got onto a small boat, and had the crew sail toward Taiqing Island.
Xiao Nanfeng frowned as he disembarked on Taiqing Island. He could sense more than one malicious gaze directed toward him, but they had vanished by the time he looked around.
"Many are waiting for me to leave Taiqing Island to deal with me, aren't they? Have I been too ostentatious, or are these all Father's enemies, attempting to kill me before I grow into my prime?" Xiao Nanfeng considered the various possibilities.
He ignored the gazes directed his way as he walked toward the Vault of Scriptures to pick out some new scriptures. The figures continued to focus on Xiao Nanfeng, none realizing that he was simply providing cover for his avatar and the students.
The ship on which Xiao Nanfeng's avatar was located sailed to a remote location of the sea, with nothing in sight. Suddenly, two humongous figures dropped down from the air: Croak and Warble.
"Everyone, onto the vine mesh!" Zheng Qian commanded.
A huge vine mesh unfurled, and the eight hundred students clambered onto it.
"Time to go, Croak, Warble!" Xiao Nanfeng rode atop Croak's head.
Croak and Warble grabbed the four ends of the mesh and pulled it taut. With a heave, they dragged the eight hundred people into the air, above cloud cover, and toward a distant land.
Croak and Warble flew extremely quickly, arriving deep within mountainous territory in just a day. They stopped by a valley.
"We're at Mt. Crow now. I'm so tired! I'll need two meals of roast meat to get my energy back after this." Croak squatted on the ground.
"The roast meat should already be prepared for you. You know where to go—head there yourselves. It's roast octopus," Xiao Nanfeng informed them with a smile.
"What? Roast octopus again? I might vomit if I ate any more of that..." Croak grumbled.
"You're complaining about roast meat? I find their tentacles quite tasty, myself," Warble criticized.
Croak sighed as Warble dragged him off into the distance, where they slowly vanished over the horizon.
Then, Xiao Nanfeng summoned a set of small copper doors in his palm, the undying heavenly doors that Blue Lantern had forged for him before his departure. As he activated the doors, they expanded in size and landed on the ground in a burst of white fog.
"Follow me!" Xiao Nanfeng instructed.
Everyone glanced curiously at the doors as they followed Xiao Nanfeng through them.
They passed through layers of fog before arriving by a small hill from which they could see the land around them.
"Eh? Why is there a city over there?"
"Wasn't this unpopulated wilderness? Everything's changed!"
"All the mountain peaks are different, too. And there are so many people over there!"
The eight hundred students pointed at the distance in shock.
A huge city had appeared there, but it had clearly seen better times. The better part of the infrastructure had collapsed, as though a huge war had just taken place. There were even countless corpses lying in pools of blood outside the city grounds.
"Principal, where are we?" one student asked curiously.
"This is the undying realm, a hidden realm composed of two great empires, the Yan and the Qi, and seventy-two cities in all. The city before you is the city of Shuntian," Xiao Nanfeng explained.
Just then, a man drenched in blood rushed out of Shuntian. Only when they drew near did the students recognize Ye Dafu and his lackeys, who seemed to have just taken part in a fierce battle. They hadn't had the time to clean themselves up.
"Young Master, you're finally here! We've already taken down Shuntian, but the interior of the city's a mess," Ye Dafu hollered.
"Lead the way!" Xiao Nanfeng instructed.
"Follow me!"
Everyone headed into the city behind Ye Dafu.
Shuntian had just been seized, and there were parts of the city that were still on fire. Thick, concentrated smoke spiraled into the air. No citizens took to the streets; in their place were dead soldiers scattered across the ground, as well as some patrolling fighters. As the students headed toward them, they realized that the patrolling fighters were all from Taiqing Island, who had apparently been here for quite some time.
Ye Dafu led Xiao Nanfeng straight to the governor's manor, where Ye Sanshui and others were lying in wait.
"Thank goodness you all arrived on time, Young Master. I've sent for the heads of the leading industries in the city, but they're too scared to talk. I don't know how to pacify them," Ye Sanshui admitted.
"The city needs to keep running, and we have to restore all affected production lines. The livelihood of the citizens is at stake, and Mr. Zheng is an expert in this area. Mr. Zheng, I've handed you the details about this city's operations a month ago, and you should be familiar with them by now. I'll have to trouble you to lead everyone through the effective governance of these cities, starting with this one. I'll also remain here in case you need consultation for major events," Xiao Nanfeng stated.
"Yes, Benefactor!" Zheng Qian responded.
"Ye Dafu, Ye Sanshui, lead your troops to patrol the vicinity and support Mr. Zheng. We can't have any further disturbance."
"Understood!" the two cultivators replied.
Xiao Nanfeng then walked toward a hall not too far away. The black-robed You Jiu stood there waiting for him.
"Let's talk inside, Sir Xiao," You Jiu said.
Xiao Nanfeng nodded and walked into the hall with You Jiu.
"When I brought you back to the undying realm, the Hall of Specters reported that the empires of Yan and Qi were in upheaval. How's the situation now?"
"There's fighting going on everywhere within the humans' domain," You Jiu replied.
"Oh?"
"Half a year ago, when we left the hidden realm, Crown Prince Yan and a prince of Qi became the new kings. They were bloodthirsty and violent, as were the heads of the various clans. Sometimes, seized by their instincts, they would eat human organs and drink their blood in public, as if they were demons."
"They've already died." Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "They're cursed slaves now, and no different from demons."
"As for the heads of the various clans, they've been acting strangely and violently, and have been mutilating members of their family. The members of their clans have tried to rebel, to eliminate them and take their place, but of course the heads wouldn't succumb without a fight. The resulting internal strife has left the clans in disarray. Similarly, the two royal families have suffered internal dissent among their ranks, and a number of ambitious cultivators are fomenting unrest. In just half a year, the humans' domain is near collapse."
Xiao Nanfeng frowned.
"But," You Jiu continued, "Sir Xiao, this isn't necessarily a bad thing for us. You could take advantage of the tumult to save the humans' domain and establish yourself."
Xiao Nanfeng nodded. He had been planning on the like, but hadn't expected the day to come so quickly.
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