Dragon Canon

After Wei Yuan struck most of the names from the roster, only 80 people remained to attempt to forge their Dao Foundations.

When Wei Yuan arrived at the drill ground, several thousand people were already seated around the perimeter. Nearly all the captives were present as well.

Originally, only those who had mastered the Body-tempering stage or made progress in the Bone-tempering stage would show up to witness the ceremony. But after the news spread, even those who had already forged their Dao Foundations rushed over to watch. They had had to overcome countless hardships in order to forge their Dao Foundations, yet here in Qingming, it seemed as though it was only a matter of trying. With that in mind, how could they not come and witness it for themselves?

Among the 10 soldiers who were chosen to participate in the ceremony, several were widely regarded as having dull aptitudes and deemed incapable of forging a Dao Foundation. It was unclear why they had been chosen out of everyone. If they could succeed, then there would be almost no one left who could not.

Seeing that nearly all the surrendered soldiers had arrived, Wei Yuan changed his mind at the last moment and stepped before them. He said in a deep voice, “To this day, I have not received a single ransom letter for you. That means you are all worthless scum and good-for-nothings—no one intends to ransom you! You wouldn’t be sitting here if you were even slightly useful, am I right?”

Some looked bewildered, others ashamed, but a few glared at him with malice.

Wei Yuan took in everyone’s reactions before continuing, “But here in Qingming, your past doesn’t matter. Whether you’re mediocre or worthless, you all have a chance to improve here. Those ten were chosen directly because they were lucky, while the rest of you are not. But again, it doesn’t matter. What you lack in luck, you can make up for it with merit! Now, observe!”

The time had come. Wei Yuan activated Life is a Flash twice to warm everyone up, then formally began the process.

By now, the cultivators patrolling the drill grounds were well-versed in the procedure. Cui Yu, Wang Yu, and Hsu Yi were all present. During the first two instances of Life is a Flash, the potential Dao Foundations each person could forge had already manifested into view, so they all had a clear idea of what to expect.

As soon as the process of forging a Dao Foundation began, worldly origin qi started appearing one after another. Some people found it easy to condense their Dao Foundations, but most struggled greatly to do so. Cui Yu and his two companions intervened from time to time, pulling those who had strayed back onto the right path. Doing so actually had a significant impact on the final quality of their Dao Foundation, but since most of these people had little hope of advancing to the Dao Foundation stage to begin with, one could argue that there was no room for the quality of their Dao Foundation to decline further. Thus, they were free to act without reservation.

With their supervision and the support of Jia Wood Nurtures Life, over 10 of the 80-plus participants ultimately forged their Dao Foundations. In fact, 7 of the 10 prisoners had succeeded!

Seeing so many of their own succeed, the prisoners were all in an uproar.

Wei Yuan approached them again and said, “In coming to Qingming, you have gained not just poison, but also immortal miracles. There is no need to feel urgency either. As long as you earn merit, you will attain a Dao Foundation.”

A few days later, the prisoners were granted their promised opportunity. It was a stronghold in the southern part of the realm of Qingming.

The military fort was garrisoned by 2,000 men and served as the gateway to Willow Ash Town. The staff general responsible for guarding the place was, naturally, a close confidant of Yuan Qingyan.

The Heaven Fighting Gang struck once again, and this time, it consisted of both former royal troops and the Xu Clan’s private army. They had marched south in a massive force and surrounded the garrison in no time.

To Li Shuangchen’s credit, he showed remarkable resolve, choosing to die in battle rather than surrender. Wang Yu stepped out to duel the staff general one-on-one, and the young master’s Heaven's Eye not only restricted his combat abilities to the utmost limit, but also laid all of his intentions bare. In the end, the duel ended in the staff general’s predictable defeat and death.

Morale at the stronghold plummeted with their commanding general dead, though many still chose to fight to the death. Although Western Jin was plagued by corrupt governance, it did have centuries of accumulation and had not yet reached the point of boiling public discontent. Thus, there were still plenty of capable warriors within their ranks.

Wei Yuan immediately took his position at the foot of the military fort and declared, “The Heaven Fighting Gang’s mission here is solely to give the traitor of the state, Yuan Qingyan, a run for his money. I urge those who aren’t involved not to court death. Lay down your weapons, and we will simply take the provisions and leave. I will now count to three; anyone still holding their weapons will be killed without mercy!”

His voice echoed over the entire stronghold, ensuring everyone heard him clearly.

Thousands were surrounding the military fort, and over a hundred masked riders were stationed on the outer perimeter. One of these masked riders had even cut down their commanding general, Li Shuangchen, in a fair one-on-one duel. Because of this, many garrison soldiers began to waver. After all, not everyone was willing to risk their lives for Yuan Qingyan, and looking at it from another angle, there was nothing about Yuan Qingyan that was worth risking their lives for.

“One, two...” Wei Yuan’s steady voice echoed over the encampment, and one by one, the soldiers laid down their arms.

Suddenly, a commandant’s face twisted into a vicious snarl as he roared, “Desertion is punishable by death!” Then, before anyone could react, he swung his saber and mowed down several soldiers who had dropped their weapons in a single sweep.

It was at that moment two cavalrymen standing outside the military fort unleashed their immortal swords. The sword light circled around the commandant a few times and severed all four of his limbs.

The army arrayed outside the stronghold finally moved, charging up the ramparts like a pack of wolves. Within moments, they had slaughtered every soldier who was still resisting.

The commandant was still screaming in agony and cursing his enemies when suddenly, a boot stepped down on his head. A voice, sounding somewhat aloof, came from above, asking, “What is Yuan Qingyan, anyway? Is he really worth you risking your lives to follow him?”

The commandant spat and retorted, “Lord Yuan may have a thousand faults, but he was a commoner just like us; a man who had fought his way up from the bottom! That’s the kind of man I respect! You lot may hail from immortal sects and noble clans, but strip all that away, and what are you?”

The voice above him replied, “I’m nothing much. But I’m still good enough to crush an ant like you.”

The pressure intensified, and the commandant’s head went splat, sending blood and brain matter flying in all directions.

Below the fort, Wei Yuan frowned slightly, puzzled as to why Cui Yu had resorted to such brutality. If he wanted a decapitation, why make such a spectacle of it? Cui Yu had seemed off lately—more irritable and impatient than usual.

By now, everyone who dared to resist had been killed. Several masked riders herded the surrendered soldiers out of the fort and lined them up on an open field. Then, thousands of troops surged into the stronghold and carried away everything of value like a swarm of locusts.

Meanwhile, another rider stepped before the surrendered soldiers and said, “Those willing to join the Heaven Fighting Gang, step forward. If you join us, a bright future awaits you, and your path to immortality can be renewed! But of course, this isn’t mandatory. Those unwilling to join may simply remain where you are.”

The surrendered soldiers numbered between fifteen to sixteen hundred in total. However, only a dozen or so had stepped forward in the end. They were clearly punching bags who had long been marginalized within the army.

Moments later, the military fort was stripped bare, and the army began its slow march northward. Wei Yuan approached the surrendered soldiers and said, “You managed to survive this time because you’ve shown good sense. When you return, be sure to tell everyone around you that we will send anyone whoever follows Yuan Qingyan to their graves. Trust me when I say we won’t show any mercy. I’m eager to see just how deep Yuan Qingyan’s pockets are, and how many dogs he can buy to save his own.”

..................

In Dingbian City, seat of Ningxi, Yuan Qingyan hurried into Chen Dao’s study and bowed, asking, “Greetings, Lord Inspector-General. May I ask why you’ve summoned this humble official so urgently?”

Chen Dao raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, “I summoned you, Lord Yuan, to ask how your strategy to cut off their food supply is progressing.”

Yuan Qingyan answered, “It has already taken effect. The scoundrels will run out of grain within the next few days. They may even be resorting to cannibalism by now.”

Chen Dao placed an official document before Yuan Qingyan and said, “I hear that a military fort under your command was ambushed by horse bandits and suffered heavy losses. Why have I not received a report on this?”

Yuan Qingyan replied with a straight face, “We are currently tallying the losses and will submit a comprehensive report once the investigation is complete. In truth, the losses are not significant—merely four hundred soldiers and several days’ worth of provisions from the garrison.”

Chen Dao narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly, “‘Merely four hundred soldiers’, you say... human lives aren’t worth much in your eyes, are they, Lord Yuan?”

Yuan Qingyan replied calmly, “From the moment they join the army, dying on the battlefield is simply part of their duty. As long as they die for a worthy cause, it doesn’t matter if it’s four hundred, four thousand, or even forty thousand—it is only right. However, the horse bandits are running rampant; they dare to openly attack military strongholds and slaughter officers and soldiers. This is no different from rebellion. I have repeatedly petitioned for troops to suppress them, to no avail. May I ask why you’ve chosen to keep your forces idle, Lord Inspector-General?”

“You have a direct channel to His Majesty, don’t you? Why not send your petition there? Why bother going through me?” Chen Dao asked, his tone laced with sarcasm.

Yuan Qingyan frowned slightly and said, “Reporting matters through the proper channels is the proper course of action. Only if I discover acts of disloyalty would I seek a way to reach His Majesty directly.”

The threat in those words was unmistakable. Chen Dao’s eyes twitched slightly, but being a man of great depth and composure, he kept his anger well-contained within his heart and said, “I merely wish to remind you, Lord Yuan, that your plan to starve them out may encounter unforeseen complications.”

Yuan Qingyan declared with absolute certainty, “It will not! The bandits have grown bold enough to attack our military forts with impunity, but contrary to their usual practice, they had only swept away all the grain and not the men! This is clear proof that they have already run out of provisions!”

“Let us hope so.” Chen Dao did not wish to say more and picked up his teacup.