Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 196 - 156: Shengshan Border Army (Two-in-One) _2

Chapter 196: Chapter 156: Shengshan Border Army (Two-in-One) _2

This moment,

Xu Yuan truly understood the meaning of rivers of blood.

Underfoot was the soft flesh,

Xu Yuan’s fist tightened slightly as he turned his eyes to his younger sister in a light blue dress and asked,

"How do you feel?"

Xu Xinyao clenched her fists, breathing with some difficulty:

"I... I just wanted to save them."

The ground was sticky with thick blood, and the scenes of flesh and the pervasive stench of blood constantly assaulted Xu Yuan’s senses. He spoke in a low voice,

"Good intentions that cause harm are still harmful actions."

"Mm....."

Xu Xinyao pressed hard on the two wounds on the back of her hand, the piercing pain barely keeping her conscious: "I.. I understand now."

Xu Yuan stepped towards the base of the mound of flesh, saying softly,

"Ying’er, the formations you’ve learned, your identity as the fourth young lady of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, all mean that your every action affects the life and death of many. Consider the consequences more when you act. I’ve already reported this matter to Father, and he will handle the Myriad Manifestation Sect, but you won’t be so lucky next time."

Xu Xinyao silently followed behind Xu Yuan. After a long pause, she softly asked,

"Father... is going to make a move against the Myriad Manifestation Sect? Is there any evidence?"

Xu Yuan replied indifferently, "What, do you have evidence?"

Xu Xinyao shook her head, "No, they only provided support for the resources and silver taels needed to establish the formation, I know nothing of the rest, and even the control point of the formation cannot be traced back to them."

Xu Yuan shook his head, murmuring,

"I previously captured an informant from the Myriad Manifestation Sect and handed him over to the Black Scale Guards of Huanglong Ji. Once the interrogation yields substantive evidence, Father will take action."

"Thank you," Xu Xinyao said, her voice filled with guilt.

Xu Yuan glanced at her,

"If you truly feel guilty, take to heart what I said earlier."

"...." A flicker of something unusual passed through Xu Xinyao’s downcast eyes.

The three of them stepped onto the city wall that was on the verge of collapse. Xu Yuan stood still and watched the distance. After trembling for a while, a black shadow quickly swept towards them from the inner city.

With his cultivation technique channeled into his eyes, he could finally see clearly that the comer was Colonel Wang, whom he hadn’t seen for several days.

Stopping close to the three,

Colonel Wang made eye contact with Xu Yuan and, without saying a word, fell to his knees, giving a salute with his fists,

"Wang, on behalf of the people of Shengshan County, offers profound thanks to Young Master Zhou for your great kindness."

"...."

The air was still for a moment,

Xu Yuan stepped forward and helped the man up.

Compared to when he left, this middle-aged man with greying temples now appeared extremely haggard, a bright red wound almost stretching across his waist, his eyes heavy with fatigue.

The deaths and injuries of his comrades these past few days, combined with his bodily injuries, had exhausted this burly man both physically and mentally.

With a sigh, Xu Yuan said softly,

"Colonel Wang, I simply did what I wanted to do."

Colonel Wang looked at the young man before him, his weary eyes swirling with emotion,

"Young Master Zhou, it may not mean much to you, but if it weren’t for you, Shengshan County might no longer exist in this world..."

Xu Yuan shook his head, changing the subject and speaking softly,

"Tell me, how did it come to this in just three days?"

Colonel Wang was silent, his fists clenched with a creaking sound, and through gritted teeth, he said,

"Myriad Manifestation Sect had death squads hidden among the merchant caravans inside the city, using small Source Crystal Bombs to blow up several key Formation Patterns."

Xu Yuan frowned, looked around, and saw several scorched marks on the inner walls of the city, sighing,

"The Myriad Manifestation Sect indeed had a contingency plan."

With that, Xu Yuan patted Colonel Wang’s shoulder and said softly,

"Reinforcements from the surrounding counties should arrive within about ten days. They will handle the remnant Demonic Beasts in the formation, so you all should rest well."

Having said this,

Xu Yuan turned his eyes to Xu Xinyao,

"Miss Xu, hand over the Formation control token to Colonel Wang."

Upon hearing these words, Colonel Wang’s eyes widened slightly in surprise and looked over to find Xu Xinyao, his gaze flickering with many complex emotions.

There was anger, but also gratitude.

In the end, the burly man bowed deeply to Xu Xinyao,

"Miss Xinyao."

Xu Xinyao stepped forward and handed over the token,

"Colonel Wang, I’m sorry..."

Colonel Wang, with his head bowed, received it and said in a low voice,

"Miss Xinyao, you were also exploited. But before entering the city, it would be better to cover your face like Miss Ying’er."

"..."

When Xu Yuan heard this, he interjected with interest,

"Oh? Is it because the citizens in the city are grateful to her?"

Colonel Wang was taken aback and glanced at Young Master Zhou beside him, but honestly said in a deep voice,

"No, Young Master Zhou may not know, but now the people in the city regard Miss Xinyao as an accomplice of the Myriad Manifestation Sect. Her ancestral temple has even been toppled. Our Border Army tried our best to stop it, but the disturbance of the citizens is a minor issue. The key lies with the traveling merchants and martial disciples within the Xia Groups. The Shengshan Border Army has... has already lost the ability to maintain order. Amidst the people’s fury, it’s very likely that Miss Xinyao could be in danger if she goes in like this."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan rubbed his temples, grasping the situation.

People liked to deify others, but they also enjoyed dragging deities off their pedestals, especially when their own lives were threatened, their emotions needed an outlet.

He glanced sideways at her,

"It seems... your efforts were in vain, weren’t they?"

The one who had worked hard to save the people had instead become the target of the rescued peoples’ resentment.

She remained silent for a moment and managed a weak smile,

"Young Master Zhou, this is what Xinyao deserves."

Xu Yuan looked at the smile on her face, shook his head, and then asked Colonel Wang in a low voice,

"Colonel Wang, could I borrow a Communication Crystal from within the city?"

Colonel Wang hesitated slightly and said in a low voice,

"Young Master Zhou, the formations have already malfunctioned."

Xu Yuan gestured towards Xu Xinyao beside him,

"Look, isn’t there an Array Master right here?"

Without hesitation, Colonel Wang said,

"If needed, Young Master Zhou may use it as you wish."

Xu Yuan gave a slight smile, "Then let’s go."

With that, Xu Yuan jumped down from the city wall, Colonel Wang looked back at Xu Xinyao and was about to speak but didn’t, following Xu Yuan he leapt down the city wall.

Xu Xinyao was about to follow when she felt someone tug at the hem of her garment.

Ran Qingmo silently took out a brand-new veil from her Sumeru Ring, tugged at her, and softly asked,

"That... don’t you want it?"

Xu Xinyao looked at the veil, bit the corner of her lip,

"I... I just..."

"She’ll take it." Xu Yuan’s voice came from below the city wall, "Ran Qingmo, help her put it on."

...

...

...

As they continued further into the inner city, the streets became gradually crowded with living bodies, yet the stench of blood remained unabated. Numerous injured people were laid out along both sides of the streets, and people who looked like healers ran among them, with painful moans and chaotic curses constantly filling the air.

Those maintaining order were mostly merchant warriors, as Shengshan’s Border Army had almost been wiped out in defending the city.

The neatly dressed trio of Xu Yuan attracted quite some attention, but under the grief of losing relatives and facing death, most people just numbly glanced at them and then looked away.

Xu Yuan turned his gaze away, asking in a low voice,

"Has there been a tally of the injured?"

Half meant that half were dead, not including the injured.

Given the medical conditions in Shengshan County at present, these injured people were also highly likely to die in sickness and pain.

Colonel Wang walked in the front, replied gloomily,

"We can’t keep count, there are too many. The southern and western walls have been breached, and even though we’ve reached an agreement with the merchant caravans and Xia Groups, we simply couldn’t kill fast enough. If Young Master Zhou had been half a day later, Shengshan might have already become a city of the dead."

Without saying more, they walked through to the county office. Passing the drill field, Xu Yuan’s nearly numb thoughts stalled once again.

The vast drill field was lined with countless bodies, and the white cloth covering the corpses had run out. Patchwork quilts in various colors covered the bodies, under which there were many scattered limbs, and the blood bloomed on the fabric like otherworldly flowers in a bright red.

Xu Yuan asked in a low voice,

"Colonel Wang... how many are left in Shengshan’s Border Army?"

Colonel Wang halted, swept a glance over the drill field, and managed a forced smile at the corners of his lips,

"Four... four hundred and thirty-seven."

...

...

...

An hour later,

In the silent stone hut, accompanied by the lighting up of the energized Formation Patterns, a huge spherical crystal floated off the ground.

Standing in front of the Source Crystal, Xu Xinyao looked back and said in a low voice,

"Third brother, the Communication Crystal has been repaired."

Xu Yuan didn’t speak. He stepped forward, raising his hand to gently touch the surface of the Source Crystal, allowing his Will-spirit and Origin Qi to flow in.

Seeing this, Xu Xinyao fell silent for a moment, preparing to silently exit the stone hut, but then Xu Yuan’s voice suddenly came through,

"I’m preparing to speak with father, you stay."