Chapter 429 Doing My Best

Watching the youth before him, Ji Yuan sighed inwardly, knowing he would receive no help on this trip.

He had originally hoped to borrow the power of the Fuyuan River Water Mansion to dispatch enough strong cultivators to recover the looted supplies.

Now, that seemed impossible. The other party's attitude was resolute, and he was not in a position to demand or forcibly borrow the mansion's power.

"You only need to hang up the water mansion's token, and naturally, you can protect the local populace and remain safe amidst the turmoil," the Fuyuan River Water God said slowly. "Let the conflicts of the world unfold as they will. When the time comes, a new emperor will ascend the throne and quell all chaos."

But by then, who knew how many common people would be displaced and lose their lives in the war.

Ji Yuan couldn't manage the entire realm, but he wanted to do what he could for the innocent people before him.

He wasn't a sage with ambitions for the world, but he couldn't ignore the people begging at the foot of the mountain.

"Even if a new emperor ascends the throne, will it necessarily calm the turmoil?"

After thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but voice his doubt.

It was said that the capital was already in chaos, with several princes vying for the throne and all the court officials taking sides, choosing whom they believed to be the rightful ruler. No one was paying attention to the situation outside.

Some enfeoffed princes and marquises were also ambivalent, neither supporting nor opposing anyone, and many even had clandestine dealings with the Wangsheng Tower.

Even if a prince eventually succeeded in claiming the throne, the Great Yu Dynasty would already be fractured, with internal rebellions supported by the Wangsheng Tower, and external threats from several nations.

"Once the imperial destiny accumulated over centuries is obtained, one can achieve peak Golden Core in a very short period," the Fuyuan River True God stated. "And we mountain and river deities only obey the emperor's command."

With the support of imperial destiny, the foundation of a nation, and the mountain and river deities within its territory, this power would be enough to accomplish many things.

In other words, as long as a new emperor ascended the throne, they could at least defend most of the territory, and the rest could be reclaimed over time.

However, during this process, who knew how many innocent civilians would be caught in the fires of war, and how many cultivators and warriors would perish, that remained unknown.

Ultimately, Ji Yuan's avatar left the Fuyuan River Water Mansion alone, bringing no assistance.

The only gain might have been a token from the water mansion, which, when hung above the temple gate, could protect a region from the ravages of war.

"Master, let us go!"

Mo Yiyan stepped forward, his face solemn. "With our combined strength, we might not be entirely unable to fight. At least we can recover something!"

As his words fell, Zhu Tao and Liu Qi, who were beside him, uncharacteristically did not agree, merely lowering their heads and standing silently.

For them, it was best not to get involved if possible. If it was beyond their capabilities, it was no different from courting death.

The refugees outside were indeed tragic, and if the imperial army was defeated, many more would suffer.

But in the end, it had little to do with them, at least not to the point where they were willing to risk their lives.

Of course, if it were their master's command, they would have no complaints and would do their best, even if they felt it was not worth it.

In the main hall of the Water God Temple, seeing Ji Yuan with his hands behind his back, silent, Li Buwei sighed, a look of helplessness on his face.

"Old Mo, if we truly had the ability, it would be one thing. But with your and my cultivation, how much supplies can we really recover?"

He spoke to Mo Yiyan, advising him to abandon the idea for now.

Even if they risked their lives, and by chance encountered rebel forces without strong cultivators, how much could they recover?

How many days would such a small amount of supplies last for so many people?

Moreover, Li Buwei did not have the mindset to risk his own life for the sake of the common people.

"Mo Yiyan, take two people to the county yamen and have Zhang Qingyang organize the manpower for transportation."

Ji Yuan sighed and suddenly gave an order.

"Yes!"

Mo Yiyan's spirits immediately lifted. He left the main hall without delay, summoned two cultivators, and then set off for Linfu County at the fastest speed.

The remaining three in the hall exchanged glances, their gazes then falling solemnly on the back of the figure before them.

"Master?"

Li Buwei called out softly, his expression somewhat bitter.

"We can't just stand by and do nothing!"

Ji Yuan shook his head, looking at the thousands of refugees at the foot of the mountain, and then thinking of the several times that number in and around the county town, he felt a pang of guilt.

It wasn't that he was overly sentimental or overly compassionate, but he absolutely could not bear to watch tens of thousands of people die before his eyes.

Furthermore, if trouble erupted, it wouldn't just be these people who would suffer. The hundreds of thousands of civilians in the entire Linfu County, as well as the surrounding towns and counties, would not escape the ravages of war.

There wasn't much he could do, but he wanted to contribute a little. If it was truly impossible, he would simply hang up the water mansion token.

However, before acting like a turtle hiding in its shell, he had to make an effort.

When no one noticed, Ji Yuan's divine avatar had quietly left Mount Xiaoyuan, pursuing the looted supplies.

There were four teams of supplies being sent to Linfu County, and all of them had been intercepted. However, the rebels did not destroy them on the spot but were brazenly transporting them to their own stronghold.

They likely were confident that with the current imperial forces in Linfu County, there was no way they could chase after them and recover the supplies.

As for the string of imperial armies, although they had the strength, they would not dare to leave their lines even half a step, fearing it was a feint to lure the tiger away from its lair, leading to a lack of skilled defenders and allowing the rebels to break through the defense line in one fell swoop.

Therefore, these rebels were not only unhurried but also didn't worry about being attacked. They weren't returning at the fastest speed but were leisurely traveling along the official road.

Rather than saying they were fearless, it was more like they were hoping someone would pursue them. The cultivators and warriors belonging to the imperial side, every head counted as a considerable military merit.

If they could defeat a few more armies, that would be even better, adding to their military merit records.

At least that's what Li Qingshan thought. As the leader of a rebel army, and formerly the sect leader of a small sect, he wished for pursuers to come quickly.

As long as enough military merit was accumulated, he could exchange it for better cultivation techniques, or even magical treasures that he had never dared to imagine before.

Perhaps soon, not only he himself would have a chance to reach the Golden Core realm, but even his sect would benefit from it, and they might even occupy a good mountain stronghold.

"I heard there's a newly appointed Kitchen God in Linfu County?"

Li Qingshan looked at the disciple beside him. Seeing him nod, he felt a slight itch.

A newly appointed Kitchen God, lacking sufficient incense offerings and having left his own territory, how much combat power would he have left?

The military merit gained from a golden body was incomparable to that of ordinary cultivators. If he could be killed or captured, perhaps he would even receive a reward from the Wangsheng Tower?

With this thought, Li Qingshan began to anticipate, hoping that the Kitchen God would leave Linfu County and head towards his unit.

And with this wish, it wasn't long before he sensed a divine aura rapidly approaching from afar.