Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 172 - 142: Speculation (Two in One)_2

Chapter 172: Chapter 142: Speculation (Two in One)_2

Alas, the Border Army of Shengshan County would not allow them to enter the city.

The commanding officers in charge of Shengshan County were well aware that letting this maddened group of refugees into the city would precipitate an even greater disaster.

The Border Army stationed at the edge of the refugee camp formed military formations in stern readiness,

and when persuasion by the Border Army Colonel proved fruitless under the relentless onslaught of the surging tide of refugees,

the slaughter began.

Kill!

Anyone daring to assault the city gates was to be executed without exception, kill until this frenzied group of refugees calmed down.

In the end,

the chaos was after all confined outside the walls of Shengshan County.

In just half an hour, ten thousand people silently died in the turmoil caused by the demonic beasts, while the actual number of those devoured by demonic beasts was at most a hundred...

...

...

Shengshan County has three city gates in total: east, north, and south, as there is no gate to the west facing the Wanxing Mountain Range.

With the trade routes open, Shengshan County set up markets to the east, north, and south inside the city walls following these three gates.

Each market was bustling, and the management was simple and direct.

Stationed troops.

The highest administrative officer in Shengshan County is now a Colonel General, and indeed it’s a bit much to expect a rough man to manage these matters.

Next to each market, a troop of five hundred soldiers was stationed, and anyone who dared to cause trouble in the market would be dragged out and decapitated on the spot.

There are downsides to having a General govern a region, but there are also benefits, at least in emergencies, the response time of the entire Shengshan County is much faster than that of bureaucratic governance.

Take the current situation, for example,

within half an hour of the arrival of the demonic beast tide, the bustling streets were forcibly cleared.

Squads of Border Army soldiers wielding sharp blades were patrolling the city in tight formation.

Standing by the window of the inn, Xu Yuan gazed up at that thick fog in the sky that seemed eternally present from time immemorial.

In fact, the moment Xu Yuan saw the Illusory Grand Formation activate, he knew that unless something unexpected happened, it surely must be another mishap.

And indeed, that was the case,

aside from the soldiers patrolling the streets, from time to time, there would be horsemen shouting along the streets to calm the public.

However, according to the crier, this demonic beast tide was not large, and Colonel Li had already left the city under the orders of General Wang to slay demonic beasts.

The Illusory Grand Formation set by Xu Xinyao was capable of completely trapping the attacking demonic beasts within the fog of the illusion array and drawing them out in batches for the military formations of the Border Army to encircle and eliminate in turns.

Efficient and safe.

According to the crier’s description, the formation would probably be removed by tomorrow.

After one last look at the streets now under martial law, Xu Yuan gently shook his head and turned to sit back on the bed.

Ran Qingmo was next door; the two did not share a room.

After a silent moment, Xu Yuan spoke softly:

"Old Man Luo?"

"....."

After a quiet moment,

the voice of the Saint’s Remnant Soul came through, light and cheerful:

"What is it?"

"Why do you think these demonic beasts know to attack cities?"

"Hmm?"

The Saint’s Remnant Soul uttered a light sound of surprise, then spoke in a low chuckle:

"These demonic beasts reproduce in litters of a dozen or more; the Ancient Abyss cannot sustain such a population, they must use these demonic beasts as expendables to expand outward."

Xu Yuan shook his head:

"I know that,

"I mean, why do these demonic beasts fancy to gnaw on city ramparts, such hard targets?

"Wouldn’t it be better to charge through some outlying areas? After all, they are expendable; there’s no need to think about how to return. As long as they break into the hinterlands, they would significantly increase the troubles for the Dayan Empire."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul spoke leisurely:

"The demonic beasts lack intelligence, but the Demon Race does."

Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then suddenly grasped the implication in the Saint’s Remnant Soul’s words, and after a long pause, he uttered only five words:

"It’s another internal strife...."

If disturbances occur along the border, the Sects of Dayan and The Imperial Court will sabotage each other, but if there’s a deep incursion, that would be an infringement on the common interests of both The Imperial Court and the Sects. A few more such incursions, and the provoked Sects on the border might join forces with The Imperial Court to launch an expedition against the Ancient Abyss, which would be a loss too great for the Demon Race within the Ancient Abyss.

"Clever? Indeed, quite cunning."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul grinned and said:

"The demonic beast tides attacking only towns during the spring each year can be considered a routine probing by the Ancient Abyss.

"As long as your Dayan Empire can hold the fort each year, everyone will be safe and sound, but if there’s a year when the Dayan Empire lacks the strength to maintain the ten-thousand-mile defensive line in Wanxing Mountain Range, the Ancient Abyss will probably consider whether to get serious or not,"

"The fertile land of the Central Plains is much better than that godforsaken place in the Ancient Abyss."

"..."

Upon hearing these words, Xu Yuan was slightly stunned.

He recalled the world line in Cang Yuan where the "Ancient Abyss" served as the final BOSS, theorizing that those world lines emerged because the Dayan Empire failed to maintain the long defensive line, leading the Ancient Abyss to conclude Dayan was weak and opportune for a major invasion...

Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan looked at the fog outside and suddenly asked,

"Old Man Luo, can you force your way through this Illusion Array?"

"What?" The Saint’s Remnant Soul appeared a bit surprised.

Xu Yuan repeated in a low voice,

"I said, can you and Ran Qingmo take me with you to break through this Illusory Grand Formation?"

"If I were in my prime....."

"Alright, stop there," Xu Yuan sighed.

"Tsk...you kid."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul smacked his lips but then immediately asked, "What are you worried about, young man?"

"This afternoon, before Zhou Xiaohe left, she said she would return to this inn to find us this evening, but they still haven’t arrived," Xu Yuan said with a solemn tone.

The Saint’s Remnant Soul responded swiftly,

"Do you suspect that this Demonic Beast attack on the city is related to the Myriad Manifestation Sect?"

Xu Yuan nodded,

"I didn’t think much of it at the time, but they had left for just half an hour when the Demonic Beast tide came, and both of them hold rather high positions within the Myriad Manifestation Sect, it’s too coincidental."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul hesitated slightly,

"But... it doesn’t make sense for the Myriad Manifestation Sect to stage such a play with the Demonic Beast attacking the city. What good does that do them if people die?"

Xu Yuan slowly stood up and walked towards Ran Qingmo’s room next door, murmuring to himself,

"That’s what I can’t figure out, first they spend so much silver to cooperate with my younger sister in constructing this Illusory Grand Formation, then they arrange this charade with the Demonic Beast attacking the city. Aside from causing deaths, this Myriad Manifestation Sect....."

At that moment,

Xu Yuan’s eyes twitched suddenly, and his steps faltered,

"The Myriad Manifestation Sect... surely... surely wouldn’t go that far, right?"

The thought that crossed his mind left Xu Yuan feeling incredulous.

"What surely wouldn’t they do?" inquired the Saint’s Remnant Soul.

With slight hesitation, Xu Yuan still glanced at the Soul Ring and uttered a word,

"Ghost fog."

"....."

Upon hearing this, the Saint’s Remnant Soul visibly startled for a moment.

Without rushing out, Xu Yuan simply placed his hand on the wooden door, deep in thought.

"You mean the Myriad Manifestation Sect wants to create ghost fog?" The Saint’s Remnant Soul’s voice was tinged with interest.

Xu Yuan ignored the old soul and, frowning, said,

"That’s hundreds of thousands of people, the Myriad Manifestation Sect wouldn’t have the audacity to brazenly create ghost fog, would they?"

The Saint’s Remnant Soul, unlike Xu Yuan, didn’t share his hesitation and spoke lightly,

"Xu boy, this isn’t a matter of being blatant."

"Hmm?"

"The grand formation your sister set up has isolated everything here. Even if all the people inside die, outsiders will only think it’s the work of Demonic Beasts."

"...."

Xu Yuan fell silent, his eyes filled with doubt,

"But sacrificing hundreds of thousands of people is enough to implicate the Myriad Manifestation Sect...."

"No one will know,"

The Saint’s Remnant Soul shook his head and interrupted.

"..." Xu Yuan.

The Saint’s Remnant Soul chuckled softly and whispered,

"Actually, it’s simple to verify your thoughts. Just ask the military commanders at the county office if the grand formation can be shut down, and see how many Demonic Beasts are attacking this time. If it all matches up, then it’s almost certainly the case."

After a brief contemplation, Xu Yuan looked very solemn,

"Let’s do that. First, I’ll call Ran Qingmo and go to the county office to check. If the Myriad Manifestation Sect really intends to create ghost fog here, they must have secretly set up other formations as well."

Hearing this, the Saint’s Remnant Soul quietly reminded,

"Tone it down a bit. The formations in the city, even if damaged, will not be easy for me and Miss Ran to handle when fully activated, not to mention the Border Army inside can form military formations."

Xu Yuan stepped out the door,

"Don’t worry, I know my limits."