When Bai Yuan arrived at Xinglong Pawnshop, its doors were shut tight. The place looked like it had been empty for a long time.

Just as he was about to step forward and knock, Lu Yu pushed the door open.

"I can’t believe you still dared to come."

His smile held a hint of playful mockery.

Thanks to his father, the General, the relationship between the Divine Mansion Sect and the Lingzhou Army was far from amicable. He’d thought Bai Yuan would avoid him to steer clear of suspicion, but to his surprise, he had actually come.

Bai Yuan shrugged.

Lu Yu couldn’t beat him anyway, so of course he wasn’t afraid.

"I’m leaving."

The grin on Lu Yu’s face suddenly vanished.

Bai Yuan asked, "Giving up on finding the Divine Mansion?"

Lu Yu rolled his eyes. "I’ve been searching for half a year. I’m not looking for shit anymore!"

He got angry just hearing the two words ’Divine Mansion’.

After searching for more than half a year, he hadn’t seen a single trace of the Divine Mansion. Staying any longer would only hinder his future in the Martial Dao.

The choice between the illusory Divine Mansion and his Martial Dao was a simple one.

His General father was currently at his wit’s end dealing with the Demon Sect in the Northern Territory. He had no time to covet the Divine Mansion.

As for the Lingzhou Army in Huanglong Prefecture... of course, they had their own agenda.

But his General father would never tell him such secrets. After all, he was just an illegitimate son—a relatively favored one, at best.

He suddenly chuckled. "Don’t you go and die before I come back to Huanglong Prefecture."

After spending this time together, the two had found they got along very well.

Despite his playful grin and his friends all over Ling Province, there weren’t many people he truly considered a friend. Fatty Huang was one, Bai Yuan was another, and that was it.

"So next time, you’ll be General Lu?" Bai Yuan asked.

A wave of ambition surged through Lu Yu. "A General, at the very least!"

Those who knew him well knew that he had always been low-key and had no interest in making grand pronouncements. Only in front of Bai Yuan, who knew of his hidden strength, did he reveal his true thoughts.

"Don’t die."

Bai Yuan’s expression turned serious.

Lu Yu was a good person, but returning to the Lingzhou Army meant going to the battlefield, where life and death were left to fate. He didn’t want Lu Yu to die so young.

"Don’t worry, I won’t die."

Lu Yu laughed heartily, spun around dashingly, and started walking toward the street corner that led out of Huanglong Prefecture City. He raised his right hand and waved as he went.

"Oh, right. My real name is Lu Yu. You can also call me Brother Yu."

’Lu Yu... Lu Xiaoyu...’

The corners of Bai Yuan’s mouth lifted slightly.

The last person he knew named Xiaoyu was from that old story, *The Legendary Twins*.

...

「Outside Huanglong Prefecture, Lingzhou Army Encampment.」

General Zhao Wu, Ji Chang, sat imposingly on a tiger-skin-draped chair, a fully armored soldier kneeling before him.

"General, the Divine Mansion Sect Leader, Murong Tian, is in seclusion. There’s been no movement for now."

"Understood. You are dismissed." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Ji Chang waved his hand, and the soldier acknowledged with a "Yes, sir," before exiting the main tent.

He had been in Huanglong Prefecture for ten days, yet he still hadn’t met the Divine Mansion Sect Leader.

’In seclusion?’

Ji Chang sneered. This was clearly a flagrant defiance of the Court’s decree.

And what was the Court’s decree?

In Ling Province, the Lord General represented the will of the Court. As a General from a long line of military men, Ji Chang couldn’t stand disobedient sects like the Divine Mansion Sect.

The Grand Ancestor Emperor should never have spoken of co-ruling with the sects. Otherwise, Ling Province wouldn’t be infested with so many disgusting fleas.

And the Divine Mansion Sect of Huanglong Prefecture was the biggest one of all.

Ji Chang had long been fed up with the Divine Mansion Sect.

Of course, he wouldn’t act rashly. After all, besides Sect Leader Murong Tian, who had broken through to his current realm over ten years ago, the Divine Mansion Sect now also had Dong Wanjun.

That Peak Master of Wan Jun Peak was now a favorite of the Grand General of the North.

The General and the Prefect had sent him here simply to secure an escape route for Ling Province.

It was said that the war in Dingzhou was not going well. The Grand General of the North was already weighing whether to abandon Dingzhou and retreat a thousand li, moving the battlefield to Ling Province. This would create a large buffer zone.

If the Grand General of the North really did that, Ling Province would become the main battlefield.

At that point, Lingzhou City, located in the far north of Ling Province, could fall at any moment.

That was why the Prefect and the General had chosen Huanglong Prefecture as their fallback position. After all, with the Divine Mansion Sect present, its military strength far exceeded that of the other prefectures.

As for whether those two Third-Grade Officials also intended to put the Divine Mansion Sect in its place, no one knew.

But Ji Chang was a military man.

He only followed orders. If he truly received the Tiger Talisman ordering the annihilation of the Divine Mansion Sect, he would not hesitate for a second.

When it came to annihilating sects, he was the best in all of Ling Province.

Half the women in Lingzhou City’s Imperial Music Office were there thanks to him.

...

"Brother Yuan, I am doing very well in Linzhou. My master is taking good care of me, too. Don’t worry. Signed, Qiaoniang."

Bai Yuan gazed at the letter Sister Qiao had sent from Linzhou, thousands of miles away, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

After Zhou Siming had taken Sister Qiao out of Ling Province, there had been no news of her.

Now, he had finally received a letter back from Sister Qiao.

Ling Province was in the north and Linzhou in the south, separated by a full ten thousand li. With the delivery speed of the Xuan Yang Post Station, it naturally wouldn’t be very fast.

Of course, it also had to do with Sister Qiao’s arduous journey to becoming a disciple.

Her master didn’t seem to have a very good temper. Although Sister Qiao didn’t go into detail in her letter, he could still tell that she had suffered a lot to become his disciple.

But then again, you can’t practice martial arts without enduring hardship.

Even Bai Yuan, who was practically using a cheat code, still had to be cautious.

Fortunately, she had now successfully become a disciple, and the letter even said she had become a Demon Hunter.

Reading this news, Bai Yuan was happy for Sister Qiao from the bottom of his heart.

Linzhou was located in the Profound Sun Southern Border, which had not yet been affected by the Demon Sect’s push south. Everything was very peaceful there.

’That’s very good.’

Bai Yuan folded the letter and placed it in a cabinet. The softness in his eyes was quickly replaced by determination.

He stood up and pushed the door open.

’Time to practice my blade...’

"Young Master, going out again?"

Liu Qing, who was watering the flowers in the courtyard, asked softly when she saw Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan wasn’t often in the courtyard on Wan Jun Peak, but everything within it was kept in perfect order. The flowers and plants were especially lush, bringing a sense of peace to anyone who saw them.

All of this was thanks to Liu Qing’s meticulous care.

In comparison, Jiang Fei, who was three years younger than Liu Qing, didn’t have such a calm temperament; she was a bit more flighty.

"Yes."

Bai Yuan nodded.

Liu Qing hesitated, looking like she wanted to speak.

"Go ahead."

Bai Yuan noticed the unusual look on Liu Qing’s face. Being a Skin Painter wasn’t just about changing one’s appearance; it also involved understanding the human heart.

There was no way Liu Qing’s expression could escape his eyes.

Liu Qing took a deep breath, as if mustering her courage. "Young Master, I have a younger brother. His comprehension is good, and his physical aptitude is above average. I was wondering if he might be able to join Wan Jun Peak."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, that’s all... Young Master, I was being greedy."

"Just tell Senior Brother Ma about it."

Liu Qing, whose head had been lowered, suddenly looked up, her large eyes filled with surprise and delight. She had tossed and turned for several nights over this matter.

She hadn’t expected Bai Yuan to agree so easily.

Although it was a small matter for Bai Yuan, Liu Qing was immensely grateful.

She was very close with her brother, but she hadn’t seen him since joining the Divine Mansion Sect. When she learned that her brother had the aptitude for martial arts, she was truly overjoyed.

In this world, there weren’t many people a woman could rely on, and for a woman like her, the choices were even fewer.

Besides Bai Yuan, the only one she could count on was her brother.

When she grew old and her beauty faded, she would at least have a chance to return to her family. For women like them, this was already the best possible future.

"Thank you, Young Master."

Liu Qing hurriedly gave Bai Yuan a graceful curtsy.

"I... probably won’t be back tonight."

Bai Yuan waved his hand, gave a few more instructions, and then pushed open the door and left.

On Wan Jun Peak today, Old Dong was of course the supreme authority. But Old Dong was still on the northern battlefield, so the one who truly called the shots was him, the sole True Disciple of Wan Jun Peak.

With great power in his hands, he had no intention of following some ridiculous ideal about avoiding nepotism.

After Ma Dingjun, Cheng Li, and Li Ting became Outer Disciples, Bai Yuan had filled all the key positions on Wan Jun Peak with his own people.

As long as the people around him were capable, Bai Yuan would help them.

Compared to outsiders whose backgrounds were unknown, his own people were, of course, more trustworthy.

Take Ma Dingjun, for example, who was now in charge of recruiting servant disciples.

The Divine Mansion Sect had numerous servant disciples, most of whom were managed independently by the Thirteen Peaks, so this was considered a lucrative post by everyone.

Besides Ma Dingjun, Cheng Li and Li Ting were also in charge of the most important tasks, such as distributing demon beast meat and Spirit Medicines.

While Bai Yuan had no intention of lining his own pockets, he felt more at ease with these matters under his own control.

Since Old Dong had no intention of managing Wan Jun Peak, it was only natural that he, the True Disciple, should lighten his elder’s burdens.

...

After descending Wan Jun Peak, Bai Yuan suddenly turned his head to look at the forest to the east.

’It seems the Divine Mansion is active again.’

But he only glanced at it for a moment. Now wasn’t the time to investigate. Rushing in rashly could get him killed.

After leaving Huanglong Prefecture City, he traveled north along the Official Road.

He had already killed most of the nearby demons, so he had no choice but to venture deeper into the mountain forests.

Along the way, he encountered many refugees hiding in the mountains. Judging by their clothes, most had fled from the north.

The war in the Xuan Yang Northern Territory was extremely brutal.

Many people from Dingzhou, unable to bear the ravages of war, had left their homes to flee south.

Although the Court had allocated a good amount of resettlement silver for these refugees, anyone who knew their way around officialdom understood that out of one hundred thousand taels of resettlement silver sent to a county, perhaps only one thousand taels would remain. After the county magistrate skimmed off a few hundred taels, the amount that actually reached the refugees was pitifully small.

He heard that in many parts of Dingzhou, people had resorted to trading children to eat them, and the sight of men selling their wives for grain was commonplace.

Unable to survive, these people had no choice but to flee into the mountain forests of Ling Province.

Families with able-bodied men still had a chance to settle in the mountains and live as mountain folk. Although it was a hard and dangerous life, they could at least survive a while longer.

As for those whose able-bodied men had died on the road while fleeing the famine, they could only wait to starve to death.

As for why they were hiding in the mountains...

That was thanks to the Lord Governor of Ling Province, who had ordered that refugees were forbidden from entering Ling Province without permission.

Of course, with the Northern Garrison Army in Dingzhou, he wouldn’t go too far, but there was a great deal of nuance to that "permission."

Wealthy families could, of course, enter Ling Province openly as long as they paid the fee. But the poor could only flee into the forests.

If these refugees hiding in the mountains were discovered, the light punishment was being sent back to Dingzhou; the severe one was being executed on the spot.

Bai Yuan gazed at the tattered, shivering refugees hiding in the woods and sighed heavily in his heart.

’This man-eating world...’

If he hadn’t practiced martial arts, his fate would likely have been no better than theirs.

The Demon Sect could reach Ling Province at any moment. He needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible.

Only then could he protect the people he wanted to protect.

"Thank you, big brother."

A little girl with a dirt-streaked face looked up at Bai Yuan innocently, cradling a piece of flatbread.

"Go on, eat."

Bai Yuan distributed the rations he was carrying among the refugees.

He couldn’t change anything significant, but at least he was doing what little he could.

The little girl tried several times to take the flatbread to her family, but Bai Yuan stopped her.

He could imagine that if the other refugees saw the flatbread in the little girl’s hands, it could very well get her killed. In that case, he wouldn’t be saving her, but harming her.

This was also why Bai Yuan didn’t harbor any savior complex.

It was simply impossible to save everyone.

And he would probably just cause more trouble.

The story of the farmer and the snake had played out far too many times in this world.

Unless he could become a figure like the Grand Ancestor Emperor, or the Founding Ancestor of the Demon Sect.