Chapter 621: Chapter 383: Xia Guang City

Qingzhou, Yu Yao Prefecture, Xia Guang City.

As the sun grew stronger, the city also began to bustle.

Along the streets, shops gradually opened, setting up their goods.

The city’s market was the liveliest, with vendors carrying their loads, the greens at the vegetable stalls still wet with morning dew, and butchers slicing meat at their stalls. Pedestrians hurried along, some carrying baskets to buy vegetables, with various cries of vendors coming one after another.

Suddenly, a rush of horse hooves broke the peaceful scene as a messenger, clutching an urgent document, galloped toward Xia Guang City, whipping his horse to go faster.

The soldiers at the city gate quickly cleared the way for the entry of the common people, watching as the messenger sped past.

“What is this urgent order about? Could it be another conscription? Is the situation at the Southern Border so dire?”

“Those barbarians are exceptionally brutal. The conscripts from the last round heard that more than ninety percent were dead or injured in less than half a year, barely one in ten survived.”

“That’s so terrible, they couldn’t possibly be short of hands and conscript us too, could they?”

“To think that the court has so many flying and earth-escaping immortals, each of those Immortal Sects and great families so powerful, one person equals tens of thousands of us ordinary folks, why would they still need ordinary people to fight the war.”

“The court just can’t command those Immortal Sects and big families, you know that as well.”

“In these cursed times, disasters are everywhere. There’s a severe drought in Jingzhou, and the starving population is resorting to cannibalism. In Qing Province, relentless rain has caused flooding everywhere. Even our Qingzhou isn’t peaceful, the Demon Sect is growing increasingly bold.”

A group of soldiers gathered together, gossiping amongst themselves as, being stationed at the city gate, they were well-informed about the comings and goings of many.

At that moment, the messenger reached the city gate and shouted loudly: “Quickly inform the county government, a large number of refugees are fleeing from Jingzhou. The governor has ordered that all cities close their gates and be on guard to prevent the starving from causing trouble.”

The soldiers, initially engaged in idle chatter, were startled and suddenly fell into a state of panic.

…

Two days later!

Merely two days after the messenger had left, a large number of refugees began to appear on the horizon.

These refugees, dressed in tattered clothing, looked thin and pallid, their eyes filled with numbness and despair, walking without any sign of vitality, resembling walking corpses.

Among the refugees, there were mothers tightly holding their infants, disheveled and muttering to themselves. Upon close inspection, one would see that the infants had already passed away, with maggots moving about.

Some exhausted and starving refugees were dying, surrounded by other refugees who glared greedily and kept their gaze fixed, like jackals ready to pounce, waiting for that moment of death.

Meanwhile, the city gates of Xia Guang City were firmly closed, a large group of soldiers standing crookedly on the city wall, pointing and laughing intermittently, with no intention of letting anyone into the city.

“Masters, please, have mercy. Let us into the city, give us something to eat.”

“I do not need to enter, but my grandson is only eight years old, all of you masters can buy him. He’s obedient and can work hard.”

“I am willing to sell myself into servitude, just for a bite to eat from the masters.”

Seeing Xia Guang City, many of the refugees showed hope in their eyes, running to kneel and beg at the city gate.

Qingzhou was an important grain-producing area of the Da Li Dynasty; they had fled here hoping to find sustenance and aid.

But the soldiers were completely unmoved, coldly saying, “There is no extra grain in the city, go back where you came from.”

The refugees, having finally seen a glimmer of hope for survival, were unwilling to leave, and the standoff at the gate continued, with the soldiers driving back those refugees who tried to approach.

“These people won’t let us live; let’s fight and rush inside, go find bamboos to make ladders.”

Driven mad by hunger, some refugees had savage expressions, calling their friends and relatives, ready to find a way to force their way in.

“Courting death.”

The City Gate Captain among the soldiers stationed on the wall unsheathed his saber and jumped straight down from the wall. The saber flashed brilliantly, and in moments, several dozen bodies fell to the ground, the remaining restless refugees instantly quieted down.

This City Gate Captain was formidable, a so-called Grandmaster in the world of martial arts, with Cultivation at the Fourth Level of Yunling Realm.

In Jianghu martial arts, power is categorized into third-class masters, second-class masters, and first-class masters, followed by Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters, representing the Yunling Realm from the First Level to the Fifth Level.

Typically, a Great Grandmaster of the Fifth Level of Yunling Realm is renowned in the secular world, dominating an area and awarded titles like Sword Saint or Gun God.

Such titles are viewed as jokes in the world of cultivation; caring about them is actually a step down for oneself.

Because martial artists have simple means, their combat power cannot be compared at all with cultivators, but against unarmed refugees, it’s still easy.

This was why Xia Guang City was not afraid of refugees causing trouble and storming the city; just kill a few leaders to scare them, and no other refugees would dare to charge again.

All of a sudden, in the midst of this chaos, a luxurious carriage slowly drove from the road outside the city.

The axles rolled with a dull noise, the carriage body was inlaid with exquisite copper ornaments, and the canopy was made of the finest silk, exuding a noble aura, glittering and dazzling.

Around the carriage, more than a dozen bodyguards in black tight clothes rode on tall horses, scanning their surroundings vigilantly, their gazes as sharp as hawks.

At this moment, both the refugees and the soldiers on the city wall turned their gaze to the approaching carriage.

Only an exceedingly wealthy or noble personage could ride in such a carriage.

“Young master, miss, we have arrived at Xia Guang City. There’s a bit of a situation ahead with starving people blocking the road; do you still want to enter the city?”

A guard leader rode up to the carriage and whispered.

With his mastery as a first-class master, he naturally wasn’t afraid of a few refugees.

The curtains of the carriage were lifted, revealing an interior that was equally luxurious, with fine cushions and woven carpets, emitting a faint scent of incense.

Inside sat a young master in a silk robe exuding an air of nobility, along with a woman in red, her face partially covered by a thin veil.

This young master was naturally Su Jie, and next to him was Han Ruyan.

After leaving the Ghost Ridge Palace, Su Jie had changed his facial appearance through muscle contractions, a simple task in the Secret Realm that most people couldn’t see through.

Once out of the Ghost Ridge Palace’s sphere of influence, Su Jie, posing as a wealthy young master, hired an escort agency to extravagantly tour around, heading towards the headquarters of the Heavenly Soul Sect.

It was now the seventh day since Su Jie had left the Ghost Ridge Palace, and it was still a few days’ journey from the power of the Heavenly Soul Sect.

“So many refugees.”

Disturbed from his cultivation, Su Jie stretched lazily and looking out the carriage window, waved his hand and said, “Let’s not spend the night in the wilderness today. Let’s go into the city and find an inn to rest.”

“Yes.”

The guard leader, Zhang Jun, nodded and ran off with a few skilled guards to talk to the soldiers on the city walls.

“Open the city gate, be careful not to harm anyone.”

Before Zhang Jun had even reached there, a burst of footsteps came from within the city.

A middle-aged man in fine clothing with an impressive demeanor approached the city gate, surrounded by many servants and guards, followed by hundreds of flatbed carts laden with large porridge pots, emitting the fragrance of rice porridge.

“Mr. Xu.”

The soldiers, upon seeing the middle-aged man, immediately looked respectful.

This was Xu Liangpan, the family head of the Xu Family of Xia Guang City, a famous family involved in both secular businesses and cultivation industries, doing substantial business.

“Open the gate, I’m going to distribute porridge,” Xu Liangpan commanded loudly, and the soldiers quickly obliged, as in Xia Guang City, the Xu Family’s word was more influential than that of the county magistrate.

After all, the county magistrate was replaced every few years, but the Xu Family had been here for several hundred years, a well-known local family with members practicing cultivation, and nobody dared to offend them.

When the city gate opened, Xu Liangpan, accompanied by his servants and guards, began to distribute porridge to the refugees.

The crowd became emotional, with refugees swarming around him in large numbers.

“Thank you, sir, for your great mercy in distributing this porridge.”

“Benefactor! When I return to my hometown, I will build a shrine for you and worship it daily.”

“Heavenly Lord! This porridge smells so good and rich, now we can survive.”

The refugees were so excited they almost wanted to riot, but Xu Family’s servants and guards stepped forward, blocking the crowded throng single-handedly, nearly all of them second and first-class masters in Martial Arts, along with several dignified young men and women displaying Spiritual Charm, obviously practitioners, their number greater than the government’s.

“Everyone, don’t push, there’s enough for everyone,”

Xu Liangpan was personally distributing the porridge, wearing a benevolent smile as he spoke, “Ah, I really can’t stand to see such human tragedies. After everyone has eaten, you can choose to go work at my Xu Family’s farms and herbal fields. You’ll get ten copper coins a day, with food and accommodation included. Those willing to register please come to me later.”

Hearing this, the refugees became even more excited, each raising their hands eagerly.

“Me, me, me, I want to register.”

“Sir, I’m strong, I want to work for you to repay your kindness.”

“I have skills in masonry and farming, sir, choose me, I’m the hardest worker here.”

The refugees crowded together to register, the scene growing quite chaotic.

Meanwhile, Su Jie’s carriage slowly entered through the city gates. Xu Liangpan put his spoon down and stared at the luxurious carriage.

“What’s the background of the person in that carriage?”

Xu Liangpan asked one of the leading soldiers.

“Not sure, he says he’s a young master from elsewhere, just passing through Xia Guang City, with quite an entourage. I’m not sure of his background,”

Xu Liangpan looked thoughtful, and a young man with a sinister face whispered in his ear, “Uncle, he looks like easy prey. I’ll check him out tonight.”

“Be careful, if he’s someone important, don’t stir up trouble,”

Xu Liangpan nodded slightly, remarking quietly.

“I know, uncle, don’t you know how careful I can be when I take action!”

At the same time, in the carriage, a faint smile appeared on Su Jie’s lips as he said, “Interesting, a disciple from the Guan Chao Pavilion has come here.”

In Su Jie’s perception, the spiritual power fluctuations emitted by the several young men and women in blue robes couldn’t escape his notice.

Su Jie had many dealings with the Guan Chao Pavilion, and he had lost count of how many of its disciples had died at his hands. The restrained aura fluctuations of these Yunling Realm disciples were completely visible to him.