That evening, the Shu County County Magistrate brought one hundred armored soldiers and six hundred hastily conscripted militiamen to the camp under construction in the North Mountain Forest. The County Magistrate himself even came to pay his respects to Guangxuan, his attitude a complete reversal from how he had previously treated Wang Ping and the others. As for the old County Magistrate, he had already retired to his hometown.
After the County Magistrate took his leave, Xia Yao sighed softly. "The laws of the Court have all but vanished. In the Southern Region, people no longer know what an Emperor is, what the realm stands for, or even what it means to be common folk."
Hearing this, Guangxuan looked at Xia Yao seriously and replied, "The Court's laws devour people. Look at the war in the Northwest—how much wealth has been extorted from the common folk? If it weren't for the business from the North Mountain Forest, Shu County would likely be a city full of refugees waiting for aid."
"That may be so..." Feng Miao said grimly, "but if this continues, Shu County will become a ghost town."
"And that is why we are here!"
Feng Miao looked very dissatisfied with Guangxuan's statement and wanted to argue further, but she realized that her counterargument would be flawed, so she wisely chose to keep her mouth shut.
「Deep in the night...」
Wang Ping, Feng Miao, and Xia Yao were given rooms in the main courtyard, and each of them found a room to meditate in.
As he entered a meditative state, Yu Lian awoke from his wrist. She returned to her original size and coiled around Wang Ping's body, intertwining with the surrounding Spiritual Energy Vortex to absorb more Spiritual Qi.
"Your killing intent is very heavy. You should refine it first..."
"Alright!"
This "killing intent" was a disturbance in one's spiritual balance caused by slaughter and combat. If a Qi Cultivator's mind was disturbed by it during their practice, they could easily become frenzied and irritable. In mild cases, it could lead to cultivation deviation. In severe cases, one could become a raving madman, singing and dancing uncontrollably.
The process of refining killing intent was simple. One just had to organize their thoughts using Taoist principles. To put it plainly, it meant finding a justification for the killing and then chanting scriptures for every soul that fell to one's blade.
It might not have much effect at first, but repeating the process several times would yield unexpected results. Then, with the passage of time, everything would become insignificant.
Time washes away all things...
In just four hours, Wang Ping's mind, which had been tainted by killing intent, grew calm...
「The next morning.」
The sky had just begun to brighten when Wang Ping awoke from his meditation. He rose and pushed open the door. Shortly after, as if sensing his movement, Feng Miao and Xia Yao also emerged from their rooms.
The three exchanged glances and simply nodded to one another before heading to the front courtyard. Guangxuan, who was meditating in the pavilion there, sensed their approach and immediately rose to greet them.
…
「Outside the North Mountain Forest...」
Overnight, a pontoon bridge wide enough for five people to walk abreast had been erected across the Five Divine Rivers. The forest at the foot of the mountain on the north bank had also been transformed into flat ground in a single night. Piles of felled trees were everywhere. Most were used to build barricades and walls for the camp's perimeter, while others were fashioned into watchtowers at key locations in the woods.
Wang Ping found it all incredible from a distance. 'Even with the industrial power of Earth from my past life, this would be impossible to accomplish overnight.' But as he drew closer to the camp, he began to understand.
For a Qi Cultivator, clearing such a dense forest was a simple matter of using the Sword Control Technique a couple of times. And as for moving the logs... there was a Qi Cultivation Skill literally called the Transportation Technique.
Wang Ping even saw two elderly Qi Cultivators in a temporary lumberyard using the Sword Control Technique to slice logs into blocks, their efficiency rivaling that of modern machinery.
"Are you planning to build a city here?" Feng Miao asked, finding the large-scale construction rather odd.
"Shucheng is wedged between two prefectures. The slightest move displeases both sides, which is why it has always been poor. During this mountain search, we'll take the opportunity to develop North Mountain. After we leave, the camp can be kept as a village."
Guangxuan maintained his cheerful smile as he explained, "If you want your subordinates to put in their full effort, you must have fair rewards and punishments. We've punished the wrongdoers, but the rewards for the mountain search can't be lacking. Besides, without the business from the North Mountain Forest, Shu County won't be able to cope with the Court's tax levies for the war in the Southwest. By developing this place and leaving it for the people of Shucheng, we're ensuring they'll have food to eat."
As he spoke, his gaze fell upon Wang Ping. "This was only possible thanks to Qianmu Temple's maneuvering in Shang'an Prefecture. Otherwise, even if we built a village, the people of the two prefectures would just break out into massive armed conflicts."
Wang Ping nodded, sighing to himself... 'Before I traveled to Hu Mountain Country, I imagined the Cultivation Realm was just a bunch of old men meditating and practicing Qi Cultivation. After I went there, I saw it as a cruel world with a rigid hierarchy. But now... now I feel that cultivation is much like the mortal world. You still have to cultivate relationships, understand people's hearts, and navigate this world of red dust.'
After hearing Guangxuan's explanation, Feng Miao retorted, "Don't you guys get tired of scheming so much? If you have to calculate everything like this, what's the point of even cultivating? You might as well just stay at home."
Guangxuan simply smiled, not bothering to argue with her. The two of them had experienced entirely different things and dealt with different kinds of people, so the truths they understood were not the same. There was no point in debating.
「Three days later.」
More than ten Qi Cultivation Disciples from Qianmu Temple arrived, again led by Wang Kang. The Sanhe Prefecture Magistrate's Office also dispatched one hundred armored soldiers, and over eight hundred militiamen conscripted from other villages arrived in succession.
At this point, the mountain search party gathered at the camp, not including the Qi Cultivators, numbered over fifteen hundred men. Two hundred of them were armored soldiers.
The militiamen were armed with iron pitchforks and round wooden shields. They also carried an assortment of handy short weapons at their waists, including axes, mallets, wood-chopping knives, and hammers. They were organized into ten-man squads, with each squad's members all from the same village. Some squads even had one or two hunters with bows and arrows assigned to them.
「The day after the troops finished assembling.」
Before dawn, the various battalions were already starting fires to cook their meals. In the very center of the camp, ten large iron pots were set up, simmering with wild game caught the previous day.
On a watchtower about half a mile in front of the camp, Wang Ping pulled his gaze away from the encampment and looked toward the far end of the road leading into the mountains. Demonic energy was rampant over there; in some places, it had even become tangible!
'So many demons!'
As Wang Ping's gaze shifted, Yu Lian returned to her full size. She wrapped herself around his left arm, her head rising to his eye level. She stared at the forest entrance, her forked tongue flicking in and out. Then, after a quick glance at Feng Miao and Xia Yao with her slitted pupils, she shrank back to about a foot in length and became inconspicuous once more.
"Are they planning to charge us head-on?"
Feng Miao looked eager for a fight, but Guangxuan at her side was grim. "Our opponents are smart," he said. "If they scattered, the militia could tear them to pieces. But by massing together, even regular Government Soldiers would be wary. We're facing a tough battle!"
"Why don't we just set them on fire?" Feng Miao suggested. "In this crisp autumn weather, I could burn down half the mountain with one good blaze."
Sparks danced in her hand.
The others automatically ignored her suggestion. Of course, she was only joking.
"Son of a bitch!"
A nearby soldier on the watchtower suddenly cursed, his gaze fixed dazedly on the sky.
Wang Ping and the others were startled as well. More than ten giant boulders had been launched from within the forest. They hurtled toward the camp with a sound that made one's scalp tingle.
Fortunately, the enemy catapult operators were perhaps inexperienced, or maybe the machines were simply too far away. All the boulders landed outside the camp.