439: To do good must first

"They all died? How do you know?"

Xu Sanyan asked in surprise. When he left Luan Yun Mountain, the Wang Family and Tai He Gate had not yet had an incident. Logically, they should have retreated early when they saw the situation was bad. Why would they stay and fight to the death?

Were they really that foolish?

"I also heard it from my father. Even the Zuoqiu Clan retreated a hundred miles with their entire Family, abandoning their Family foundation."

"Hmm..."

Xu Sanyan nodded slightly and then instructed, "If there's any more news regarding this, make sure to tell me immediately."

The two girls nodded simultaneously and said in unison, "Okay, Liang gege, don't worry."

After speaking, the two girls exchanged glances, then simultaneously turned their heads away.

...

The capital of Gan Country,

With the capital examination approaching, elites from various provinces gathered in the capital, eager to achieve a good ranking and display their prestige. The capital was filled with noise everywhere, a truly bustling scene.

In contrast, the Golden Luan Hall was silent. None of the officials spoke, all bowing their heads in thought, wondering what they were contemplating.

The reason for this scene was the news that had just arrived: Baiyu Prefecture had fallen.

It had only been a day since the news of the mist spreading, and the news of Baiyu Prefecture's fall followed closely, causing tremors in the imperial court and silencing all officials.

Baiyu Prefecture, along with seven surrounding counties, saw nearly a million people perish. This was the largest natural disaster Gan Country had experienced since its founding.

The Qian Emperor on the Dragon throne had a majestic face and eyes like swords, so piercing that no one dared to meet his gaze.

"The mist is still spreading, and that demonic creature has devoured a million of Our subjects, becoming increasingly difficult to contain. Do any of you, Our esteemed ministers, have a solution?"

A hint of unmasked weariness was evident in the Qian Emperor's voice, clearly showing he had worried a great deal about this matter.

An elder, at the forefront of the officials, stepped forward, holding his tablet and bowing, "In this old minister's opinion, the most urgent task is to relocate the common people, moving them away from the thick mist. Secondly, we should unite with immortal sects such as Tianyi Fumo Temple, Siyuan Sect, and Qi Dao Sect to jointly act and restrict the spread of the mist."

"This natural disaster is extraordinary; I believe they will not stand idly by."

The Qian Emperor slowly nodded, "This matter will be entrusted to you."

"Yes."

...

Although Xu Sanyan paid attention to the calamity in Luan Yun Mountain, he wasn't overly concerned, as this place was very far from Luan Yun Mountain and unlikely to affect him.

Time passed bit by bit, and two months flew by in the blink of an eye. When the last stroke fell, the Formation patterns on the city wall suddenly lit up with a faint glow, spreading from an initial point to all directions. In just a short while, the entire city was covered by a dark red halo.

Tens of thousands of Formation patterns formed a complex and profound picture, intertwining and wrapping around each other, like wildly growing vines merging in mid-air, resembling a transparent large bowl inverted over Qian Province City.

Fortunately, it was daytime, and the sun was blazing, so the light was not too conspicuous and did not cause much panic. The common people were merely curious and looked on, but they couldn't make out anything meaningful.

Xu Sanyan had no time for other matters; there was a more crucial step yet to be completed.

He pulled out Soul Crystals with a backhand and tossed them casually. Thousands of crystals hung in mid-air, spinning rapidly. Xu Sanyan held his breath, his body surrounded by magical power, causing his robes to rustle loudly.

The intense airflow pushed Qin Shutong and Jiang Yun'er far away. No one could approach within a hundred feet of Xu Sanyan.

"Crack~"

First, there was a crisp sound as one Soul Crystal exploded, then all the Soul Crystals burst open one after another like firecrackers. A large amount of Soul Power, controlled by him, surged into the Formation.

The dark red interwoven net covering everyone's heads instantly changed color. Under the erosion of gray, the Formation no longer appeared so demonic.

Jiang Yun'er blinked her beautiful eyes, staring intently at Xu Sanyan floating in mid-air, her face full of admiration and reverence. Adoration for the strong is a common affliction for all women, and her symptoms were undoubtedly more severe.

She truly wanted to improve.

The light curtain in the sky slowly faded, showing no further abnormalities, as if it were no different from before. But the common people of the city did not know that from now on, their lives would enter a countdown.

As the grand Formation disappeared, a wisp of clear wind descended from the Void Realm, lingering over Qian Province City for a long time.

Some people noticed that the withered trees in their courtyards began to sprout, the green grass underfoot appeared even greener, flowers bloomed on the peach branches, and the clear water in the wells became sweeter.

The wind blew through the scholar's headscarf, making his mind clear and his thoughts swift as lightning.

It blew over the infant in the swaddling clothes, and the crying stopped abruptly. A pair of distinct black and white eyes blinked, looking at the sky, and a pink gummed smile appeared.

At this moment, everything changed. Prefect Jiang, who was handling official documents in the government office, felt something, pushed open the door, and felt the omnipresent active Spiritual Qi. A smile slowly appeared on his lips.

That kid really pulled it off.

At the same time, Associate Prefect Qin, He Shubie, Zhao Wenshu, Huang Family Head, and others all knew what was happening and couldn't help but feel joyful.

Xu Sanyan pulled at the corners of his mouth, looking at the smiling faces of the common people in the city. He was also very relieved. It was not in vain after all. It was good that everyone was happy.

One good deed a day, accomplished.

"Liang gege... What kind of Formation is this? It's so magical."

Qin Shutong looked at the birds soaring with flapping wings, feeling that the sky was exceptionally clear today, which made her mood even more pleasant.

Xu Sanyan did not answer directly; instead, he lectured, "Hehe, this is a good Formation that benefits the country and the people. Formations are inherently neither good nor bad; they are good when used right, and evil when used wrong."

"Hmm, Liang gege is truly kind..."

Qin Shutong agreed wholeheartedly, her admiration for Xu Sanyan growing even stronger.

Xu Sanyan turned his head to look into the distance and sighed, "Now that the matter is settled, I should leave."

Qin Shutong immediately froze, a series of questions tumbling out, "Leave? Liang gege, you're leaving? Where are you going? When will you be back?"

"I don't know. Maybe two months, maybe half a year, maybe..."

Xu Sanyan smiled, "My sect teaches that doing good must come first. Although my abilities are limited, I must still do my humble best. Even if I can help just one person, it is good."

"Hahaha, well said!"

Prefect Jiang stroked his hand and laughed heartily, his eyes practically overflowing with admiration, showing his deep affection for Xu Sanyan.

Now that the Formation was complete and its effects evident, Prefect Jiang no longer harbored any reservations about him, so he specifically came to meet him.

"Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Father!"

"Greetings, Uncle."

The several people bowed simultaneously.

Prefect Jiang smiled and nodded, "Good, good. What a fine sentiment, 'doing good must come first.' To have such awareness at such a young age truly makes this old man feel ashamed."

"Your Excellency, you flatter me. It's all thanks to my master's teachings. This Junior dares not take credit."

"Hehe, this old man just heard that you intend to leave. Is this true?"

"Yes, this Junior only has the Dao of Formation that is presentable. It would be good to do more good deeds for the common people so as not to disgrace my master's name."

Prefect Jiang glanced at Jiang Yun'er with a hint of regret, shaking his head inwardly. What a wonderful young man, but unfortunately...

His own daughter was not worthy of him.

As the saying goes, no one knows a daughter better than her father. He understood his daughter's temperament all too well. Putting the two of them together was simply not a good match.