Chapter 31: Schemes from All Sides, Conspiring Together for Qingshan

"Gulp."

Someone swallowed nervously.

Despite it being the dead of winter with howling winds, the riverside of Donghe Town was deathly silent under the terrifying aura emanating from the river. Not a single soul among the tens of thousands dared to make a sound.

Even children were being held tightly under their parents' bodies, their mouths covered.

Zhang Qing’s beautiful face was pale with tension, but she forced herself to remain calm and said, "Everyone, I know you harbor resentment toward me. But now that the demon has emerged, it certainly will not spare the people here."

"I have already prepared contingencies. As long as you strike at the demon, everyone will receive a bottle of Qi-Gathering Pills and thirty spirit stones afterward!"

Xu Xiao added, "I will also give each of you an extra bottle of Yellow Bud Pills. As long as you fight, you can come to me to collect them afterward."

"But if anyone attempts to retreat..."

Xu Xiao didn't finish his sentence, but all the rogue cultivators understood his meaning: to retreat was to die!

The vortex in the middle of the river grew larger and larger until a massive head, coated in gold lacquer yet still hideous, emerged from the swirl.

As soon as the head appeared, those golden eyes stared fixedly at the crowd of rogue cultivators on the bank, and a mouth full of sharp teeth split open: "This God has heard that you lot wish to slay demons?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qing’s face instantly turned deathly pale: something was wrong!

Not just Zhang Qing, but the rogue cultivators and the commoners also realized something was amiss. Why did the River God show no signs of weakness whatsoever?!

As the cold wind howled, the waters of the Taiping River began to surge.

Standing atop waves several yards high was the River God—a creature with the head of a fish and the body of a man, holding a sharp trident and possessing fish fins on its back. His golden vertical pupils were filled with cruelty: "A swarm of ants, daring to attempt regicide? Today, none of you shall escape. All of you, die for this God!"

With a roar from the River God, he swung his trident. The waves of the Taiping River churned violently, and the massive swells crashed toward the shore like the heavens collapsing.

The people of Donghe Town watched in horror as the tide surged toward them. The tide was taller than the city walls, pressing down with a terrifying aura that seemed poised to destroy everything.

After a moment of stunned silence, the commoners erupted into terrified screams and began to flee in all directions!

The River God stood upon the waves, his mouth curling into a grin: "What a magnificent sight."

Xu Xiao looked at the Qi Refinement cultivators attempting to retreat and shouted angrily, "What are you standing there for? Strike now!"

Wang Ping gripped his low-quality spiritual tool tightly, the fear in his heart growing until it swallowed him like a black hole.

In the next moment, Wang Ping lost his sanity. He screamed, brandishing his weapon as he charged toward the towering, god-like figure of the River God, desperately casting spell after spell.

Immediately after, as the massive waves carrying thousands of tons of river water crashed down, Wang Ping was instantly reduced to a pool of blood.

Seeing this, the other Qi Refinement rogue cultivators could no longer restrain themselves and began to flee in terror.

Even though they had swallowed poison, the instinct for survival made them unwilling to die here.

The River God watched the dark mass of commoners scattering like ants. He saw countless people falling, being trampled, or being separated from their kin. His heart was filled with sadistic pleasure: "You ants, do you finally know how to revere a god?"

Xu Xiao grabbed Zhang Qing and summoned his silk handkerchief to carry them both, flying straight into the air to evade the water.

Looking down now, the turbid waters of the Taiping River surged continuously, wave after wave crashing against the shore, swallowing the land and the living beings alike.

The rogue cultivators could not be relied upon. *Fellow Daoist Wen, Old Man Qiao, Young Master Kongxu—why haven't they appeared yet?*

Xu Xiao was incredibly anxious.

***

Meanwhile, in the Qingping Mountains, Jiang Sheng sat quietly in meditation on a stone slab at the mountain peak.

The weather was poor today; dark clouds obscured the sky and the cold wind howled. From the Taoist temple halfway up the mountain, there was no trace of the sun to be seen.

Tian Mingan stood silently behind Jiang Sheng. His martial arts training had been quite effective lately, and he no longer feared the mountain wind as he once had.

Looking toward the Taiping River from the summit, he could clearly see the river water gradually swallowing the land.

Along the banks of the Taiping River were several towns in Qingshan County, with tens of thousands of people living along the coast, including over ten thousand in Donghe Town alone.

Tian Mingan knew that today was the day the County Magistrate had set for slaying the demon, but looking at the situation by the river, the people of Donghe Town were clearly already victims of a disaster.

"Master..." Tian Mingan couldn't help but want to speak, but once he opened his mouth, he didn't know how to phrase it, so he simply closed it again.

"You want to ask why today is the day to slay the demon, yet your Master has not acted? Or do you want to ask why, despite having emerged from seclusion, your Master sits by and watches the people of Donghe Town suffer?" Jiang Sheng's voice was very gentle, making one's irritation vanish instantly and leaving them feeling calm.

Jiang Sheng stood up and looked at the somewhat lost Tian Mingan, his gaze remaining indifferent: "Do not be impatient. It is not yet time for me to act."

"Do you know that when a hunter hunts a large beast, they must constantly drain the beast's strength, bleeding it continuously? Once the beast is exhausted, the hunter must still proceed with extreme caution. Otherwise, one moment of carelessness will lead to being counterattacked by the beast."

"The River God of the Taiping River is a true Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. Dealing with him will not be as easy as dealing with the Eight Wolves of Dong County."

Tian Mingan snapped his head up, his eyes full of disbelief: "So, Master, Magistrate Zhang's plan was to abandon Donghe Town from the very beginning?!"

Jiang Sheng shook his head: "Not just that."

"Donghe Town, Xihe Town, Shishan Town, Daliu Town, Taiping Town—all of them are to be abandoned! Even Qingping Town at the foot of this Qingping Mountain can be abandoned."

"Only when the demon has flooded the six towns and driven the river water into the heart of Qingshan County will I act."

Tian Mingan felt a chill run down his spine. Six towns—that meant the lives of tens of thousands of people!

Magistrate Zhang was going to trade the lives of the people in the six river towns for a single chance to slay the demon. But wasn't he supposed to be dedicated to the people?

Wasn't he a man who loved his people like his own children?

Seeing Tian Mingan's shocked expression, Jiang Sheng snorted coldly: "Those who achieve great things do not dwell on trivialities, let alone a plan of this scale."

Tian Mingan felt as if something inside him had shattered: "But... but why?"

Jiang Sheng frowned slightly: "Why is there so much 'why'?"

"There is a Purple Mansion demon in the Taiping River; I cannot find a moment of peace here in the Qingping Mountains."

"And Magistrate Zhang will be constrained by the gentry of Qingshan County. If the people revere the River God, who will listen to him, the Magistrate? Furthermore, slaying a demon and clearing away false cults is a major political achievement. Tell me, why would Magistrate Zhang do this?"

Tian Mingan was completely stunned. He suddenly felt that this world was simultaneously very real and very foreign.

Jiang Sheng continued, "Do you understand why I am so reluctant to leave the mountain?"

"Outside the mountain is Magistrate Zhang's territory; inside the mountain is my Dao field. This was the agreement I made with him from the start, and it is the reason I am unwilling to descend."

Tian Mingan looked somewhat lost: "Your disciple always thought Magistrate Zhang was a good man."

Jiang Sheng chuckled: "A good man? Even I wouldn't dare call myself a good man. How could a man who can serve as a County Magistrate in his forties be a mere 'good man'?"

"And according to your logic, if I am intentionally conserving my strength, using those rogue cultivators as pawns, and allowing a demon to flood six towns and tens of thousands of people, am I not also an irredeemable villain?"

Tian Mingan dared not respond. Jiang Sheng waved his hand with an air of detachment: "When I came to this mountain and met your grandfather, I said I only wanted a quiet place for cultivation, and that matters outside the mountain had nothing to do with me. Even if Qingping Town or all of Qingshan County were wiped out, what would it have to do with me?"

"Your grandfather is a smart man. He foresaw this day long ago, which is why he sent you up the mountain—to preserve the Tian family bloodline. Your grandfather is a character; I was willing to be his friend across generations, which is why you were allowed up the mountain. Otherwise, do you truly think that kneeling in the wind and snow for seven or eight days would have moved me?"

Looking at Tian Mingan's stunned face, Jiang Sheng couldn't help but laugh: "You are too naive. Forget coming to me; even if you went to some Foundation Establishment or Purple Mansion sect, forget kneeling for seven or eight days—even if you knelt for seventy or eighty days, or seven or eight years, they still wouldn't take you in."

"I was merely looking for an excuse to take you in."

These words sent a shockwave through Tian Mingan's soul. He never imagined there was such a factor involved; he had always believed his sincerity had moved Jiang Sheng.

Jiang Sheng's eyes, like stars, looked at the catatonic Tian Mingan with amusement and asked, "I presume during those days, your grandfather was constantly advising you to give up, to enjoy your wealth, or perhaps to go to some academy or Daoist palace in Dong County?"

Tian Mingan nodded instinctively. Jiang Sheng smiled: "Do you know what your grandfather was actually thinking at that time?"

Seeing Tian Mingan shake his head, Jiang Sheng patted his shoulder gently: "Grandson, you must hold on. The future of the Tian family can only depend on you."

These words exploded in Tian Mingan's mind like a thunderclap, leaving him frozen in place.

After a long time, Tian Mingan finally regained his senses. He felt a bitterness in his mouth and a chaotic mind. He truly did not know how to describe his inner state, feeling as though he appeared intelligent but was actually as foolish as a donkey.

It was all for nothing—his own unnecessary worries. It was all because the gentry and merchants of Qingshan County had gone to such great lengths to stir up public opinion and mislead the people. They thought their secret schemes were well-laid, but everything had been within someone else's plan all along.

Whether it was the rampaging evil cultivators or the rioting ignorant masses, the entire situation in Qingshan County, which looked chaotic and dangerous, was actually under the control of Jiang Sheng and Zhang Qingyun!

Jiang Sheng chuckled: "Do you know why your grandfather sent you up the mountain to cultivate?"

"Only through cultivation can one master their own destiny. Only by having a powerful backer can one avoid easily becoming a pawn."

"Who is a pawn? The merchants and gentry of Qingshan County, the evil cultivators and rogue cultivators—they are all pawns. Your grandfather was also a pawn."

"As for the commoners, they need not be mentioned. They are merely ignorant masses; they listen to whoever shouts the loudest, living mediocre lives like weeds."

As he spoke, Jiang Sheng sighed softly: "Mortal beings spend their lives lost in the affairs of the world, their life and death not in their own hands."

"Mortal struggles ultimately yield nothing but a gust of empty wind."