Chapter 57: Parting at the Long Pavilion

Regardless of the myriad expectations and pronouncements from all corners, the Three Cities Discussion ultimately drew to a close.

The throngs of onlookers from Fenglin City dispersed, their voices still buzzing with fervent debate. For the Fenglin City Dao Academy, the outcome this year was far from disappointing; indeed, they basked in a shared sense of glory.

Yet, the vast majority of ordinary folk dwelling within the city's walls remained blissfully unaware of the day's true events.

The sanguine skirmishes fought within hidden chambers, the desperate struggles in shadowy alleys, the agonizing tangles of life and death – all these had passed by in silence, like air dissolving into air.

The ripples stirred by the White Bone Path were calmed, eradicated. Not a single drop of blood stained the streets. The few commoners who had inadvertently glimpsed the confrontations had been sternly ordered to maintain their silence.

For most, today was merely a grand occasion in Fenglin City, featuring a captivating and well-organized program.

Transcendence is often bought with pain, but ignorance is not necessarily devoid of happiness.

For Wei Quji, the seventeen severed heads of White Bone Path cultivators piled before him, along with the countless other corpses deemed unworthy of collection, served as a cleansing tide, washing away his recent shame.

Wei Quji turned to Dong A, his voice laced with a sense of closure, "Today, the great enmity is avenged. It would be well to gather the Dao Academy disciples and recite the 'Tai Shang Jiu Ku Jing' a few times, to offer salvation for those who perished unjustly in Xiaolin Town."

As the lord of a city, he could finally offer a modest sacrifice to the town under his jurisdiction.

This was, of course, no arduous task. The 'Tai Shang Jiu Ku Jing' was a commonly used scripture for salvation, its verses almost instinctively known to every Daoist cultivator.

But Dong A's response was icy, devoid of warmth: "Their souls are scattered. What use is salvation?"

Wei Quji merely felt a wave of incomprehension wash over him. They had just cooperated, yet the man couldn't even muster a pleasant expression. With such a temperament, it was little wonder he had been cast out of the Zhuang capital in years past.

...

When the cultivators from Sanshan City departed, Jiang Wang made a point of going to see them off.

He held genuine respect for Yang Xingyong and deeply admired the unwavering resolve displayed by the Sanshan City cultivators during the discussion.

Compared to the formidable contingent from Wangjiang City, the Sanshan City cultivators appeared almost isolated, a lonely band.

Had it not been for Dong A's personal intervention to provide treatment, they might not have even returned to the city as a complete group – they had fought with such ferocious intensity.

Jiang Wang was happy to see them off. "I admit defeat. You are truly formidable. I will return to challenge you again next year!"

They exchanged a few pleasantries. Jiang Wang hesitated for a moment, then ventured to ask, "The Three Cities Discussion is not a county academy examination. Why did you all fight with such desperation?"

Yang Xingyong fell silent.

"My apologies," Jiang Wang said sincerely. "If the question is inappropriate, please disregard it."

"Because... because Sanshan City is in a very difficult situation." Beside him, Sun Xiaoman, who had been visibly dejected and quiet, finally spoke.

"Sanshan City has many mountains, many beasts, and many ferocious beasts. Beasts are acceptable, equivalent to food. Ferocious beasts, however, are very troublesome..."

As Sun Xiaoman narrated, Jiang Wang began to grasp the plight of Sanshan City.

The rise of the human race in ancient times was a hard-won battle. Before their ascent, life was far from easy.

While it was now commonly said that the human race was the spirit of all things, in truth, after birth, the Dao meridians of most humans were generally blocked. Only a miniscule number of gifted individuals possessed external Dao meridians and were born with the ability to cultivate.

Demon beasts, however, were all born with external Dao meridians.

Later, a peerless human powerhouse devised and publicly shared a pill formula, which then heralded the dawn of the human race's rise.

The name of this powerhouse had been lost to the annals of history, but his pill formula had been passed down through the ages, its legacy eternal.

This formula was for the first Open-Vein Pill, and its primary ingredient was the Dao meridians of demon beasts.

From that moment on, the human race was no longer shackled by innate talent; they could cultivate using the Open-Vein Pill! This also marked the beginning of an era of frenzied hunting of demon beasts.

Before embarking on his own cultivation journey, Jiang Wang had always pondered a particular question.

In such a torrential era of cultivation, why hadn't the human race, with its burgeoning power, managed to clear the wilderness? Why did the various nations of the world only maintain the smooth passage of official roads, while allowing beasts to roam and demon beasts to run rampant in more remote regions?

Because these demon beasts were resources! In a sense, they were livestock being raised. The presence of ordinary beasts and even the wilderness environment were merely necessary to maintain the ecosystem for this "raising."

After all, demon beasts, favored by heaven and earth and possessing external Dao meridians, could not be confined and bred in captivity.

Ferocious beasts, however, were a different matter. They generally possessed incredibly potent combat power but lacked spirituality. Their flesh was even inedible. Simply put, the destructive capacity of ferocious beasts was not significantly less than that of demon beasts, yet they held no inherent value themselves.

Hunting ferocious beasts was a thankless task, a loss without gain. Yet, Sanshan City was forced to do it. This had plunged Sanshan City into a perpetual state of deficit.

All those who sought strength required resources to ascend, but Sanshan City had consistently spent more than it earned. Even more alarming was the sheer number of ferocious beasts in the Sanshan City region; they were simply inexhaustible.

They destroyed official roads, attacked villages and towns, and devoured humans.

The environment of Sanshan City dictated that most of its food had to be transported from elsewhere; the region was utterly incapable of self-sufficiency. The obstruction of official roads, however, significantly increased the risks associated with this transportation.

Especially of late, the Sanshan City Dao Academy had suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the Swallow Heart Demon, leaving Sanshan City even more desperately short-handed.

The maintenance of official roads was the responsibility of the Sanshan City region. To request the Zhuang court to dispatch masters to sweep away the threats required the payment of equivalent resources. And Sanshan City, at this point, possessed virtually no surplus resources to offer.

Therefore, even after their senior brother, Chu Ping, of the Sanshan City Dao Academy had fallen in battle, the Sanshan City Dao Academy still viewed this Three Cities Discussion as a lifeline. They fought with such ferocity on the training grounds, not for their own glory, but for the fathers, elders, and fellow villagers of Sanshan City who were struggling merely to survive.

"Do you know?" Yang Xingyong's eyes were visibly red, and he lowered his head. "For every match we win, Sanshan City can sustain at least ten more people." He felt ashamed of his defeat, even though he had given his all. "As long as we perform well..."

Jiang Wang was silent for a moment.

He patted Yang Xingyong on the shoulder. "The title of number one in the first year of the Three Cities Discussion, I gained it through a fortunate turn and feel a pang of guilt. The fifty Dao Merit rewards, I will go to the Dao Merit Hall to transfer them to you when I return to the Dao Academy."

Fifty Dao Merits was not an insignificant sum. While it couldn't single-handedly resolve Sanshan City's myriad problems, it could provide a small measure of relief in their immediate need.

Furthermore, for a Dao Academy disciple whose name was recorded in the Dao Diploma, fifty Dao Merits was equivalent to half an Open-Vein Pill, which in turn was equivalent to half a transcendent cultivator.

This was precisely the kind of power Sanshan City needed most desperately to replenish right now.

"How could this be appropriate?" Yang Xingyong raised his head, startled.

Sun Xiaoman had already delivered a punch to Jiang Wang's stomach. "You friend, we've accepted your offer!"

She had originally intended to strike Jiang Wang's chest in a display of heroic camaraderie, but her height proved to be a limitation.

Leaping up to strike would have shattered the carefully cultivated atmosphere, so she could only aim for Jiang Wang's stomach.

Jiang Wang felt a surge of old blood threaten to erupt from his throat. Were it not for the immense power of his Four Spirits Refining Body Technique, he would have been finished then and there.

This little girl's fist carried a terrifying force.

Of course, Jiang Wang knew that her generosity wasn't solely due to altruism. He could even discern the faint traces of embarrassment and unnaturalness hidden beneath her heroic smile.

She simply couldn't bear to forgo the help that the people of Sanshan City could receive, all because of her own shyness.

"Then, farewell."

"Farewell!"

Parting is an inevitable part of seeing a friend off on a long journey.

Jiang Wang stood outside the city gates, watching his newfound friends depart into the distance.

...

"Sister, buy me a new set of clothes." The little fat boy, Sun Xiaoyan, wrapped in a large, hooded black robe, walked tentatively beside her.

His original clothes had been destroyed in the battle.

"No money."

"I can't go home like this, can I? It's such a long journey, so many people will see me! What if I'm exposed?"

"What if they see you? You're still a child."