Chapter 108: Speculation and Misunderstanding

As time passed, the floodwaters besieging Jiulu City gradually receded, yet never fully retreated back to the Tiansha River. The powerful alchemical creatures worked with remarkable efficiency to clear the rubble. Soon, the vast cleared area was filled with the wounded.

Except for vampires and merfolk who could take human form, most alchemical beings appeared to the people as monstrous creatures. However, since these monsters were helping to rescue survivors, the initial panic and scattering among the populace gradually subsided. Within the city, remnants of the local government maintained order and organized relief efforts.

Outside the city, a contingent of influential martial forces from the jianghu had not been idle. Once the waters receded, they sent scouts to investigate the situation. From the collapsed city walls, they observed some activity inside, gaining a clearer understanding of events. After a brief discussion, all of them entered the city to assist.

Their motivation was less concern for the citizens’ wellbeing and more a desire to curry favor with the mysterious “Divine One.” For Wu You, this group served as makeshift doctors. Each was skilled in martial arts and possessed deep knowledge of human anatomy, vital points, and pressure points. Their prowess made them akin to half-trained physicians, and their internal energy could aid in stabilizing injuries.

Bai Yanxi welcomed their help wholeheartedly. Wu You had hurriedly dragged him from home, never expecting to treat so many people. It had nearly exhausted the old man’s frail body. Without applying some restorative ointments to his joints and head, he would have collapsed long ago. Yet Bai Yanxi’s toil was only beginning; restful days were out of reach for the foreseeable future.

Three days into the relief efforts, Wu You found two more wounded men amid the rubble. Supporting them under each armpit, he made his way toward the overcrowded clearing where makeshift shelters had been erected to shield survivors from the elements. Of course, with Wu You and Ao Guang present, no storms would dare descend upon Jiulu in these days.

The two injured men were middle-aged, each suffering fractures in limbs but otherwise stable. They groaned occasionally in pain but said little. They regarded Wu You with a mixture of awe and fear; all the towering, rock-like monsters treated this Divine One with utmost reverence.

An elderly man with short white whiskers, dressed in a green robe, approached Wu You under the guise of casual proximity. He took one of the wounded from Wu You’s arms and politely greeted him.

“Greetings, Immortal Lord!”

Wu You ignored him, handing over the other injured man as well, then walked away. Such attempts at ingratiation had occurred repeatedly. Wu You only spoke briefly with officials from the imperial court, instructing them to expedite disaster relief—food distribution, heating arrangements—and ignored everyone else.

The green-robed elder was unperturbed. After settling the injured man in the clearing, he moved closer to Wu You’s position.

“Immortal Lord, are you familiar with the Evil Daoist?”

It was clear he belonged to the Liu family. Wu You paused briefly at the question, then resumed his tasks as if unaffected. He did not intend to remain in Jiulu long; his aim was to complete what he could before handing the rest to the Great Qin and neighboring powers. He cared not whether the people would curse him for the devastation wrought by the battle between the Azure Dragon and Blood Jiao, or praise him for slaying the Blood Jiao and aiding the survivors.

The green-robed man asked no more and went off to help elsewhere. Wu You’s brief hesitation had already conveyed much; pressing further risked breeding resentment.

Nearby, a long line formed outside a porridge distribution tent led by a Liu family emissary. The elder nodded subtly in their direction. Shortly after, a young man emerged from behind the tent and, noticing no observers, used swift movement to slip beyond the city walls.

Meanwhile, intelligence reports rushed through the scouts of various factions, hastening to their respective power bases.

In Shengjing, within the Imperial Library of the royal city, a chief eunuch hurriedly entered, interrupting Emperor Ying Huan’s writing.

“Your Majesty, urgent news from Jiangzhou. The scouts are outside.”

Ying Huan set down his brush.

“Bring him in.”

After bowing, the eunuch swiftly departed and soon returned with a dust-covered armored soldier who knelt on one knee and clasped his fists.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

“Rise. What is the situation in Jiangzhou? Is the siege against the Blood Jiao proceeding smoothly?”

The soldier bowed again.

“Thank you, Your Majesty. Jiangzhou has undergone a great upheaval. I lost six horses racing here to deliver the news. The Blood Jiao was slain by a celestial being from beyond the heavens, and a large number of monsters under this celestial appeared in Jiulu City.”

“I have prepared a report with specific details, Your Majesty. I fear I may forget key points, so I wrote it down en route.”

He produced a rolled silk scroll from his breast. The mention of ‘celestial being’ caused Ying Huan’s brow to furrow. Taking the scroll, he spread it on the desk, his frown deepening as he read.

A celestial figure accompanied by divine beasts had appeared from the heavens, roaring that the Blood Jiao was a fiend disrupting the mortal realm. The Azure Dragon descended to battle the Blood Jiao, nearly destroying the entire city in the process. Thunder and lightning gathered, the earth shook with their clash, and the final strike resembled a divine judgment descending upon the world.

No mortal could withstand such power.

Though he had not witnessed it firsthand, Ying Huan could imagine the awe-inspiring spectacle of the land cracking and cities crumbling under such celestial wrath.

During the subsequent rescue, the celestial summoned numerous strange divine beasts to aid in saving the survivors. Moreover, a miraculous “life-extending elixir” appeared—truly a potion to restore the dying. So long as one had not died, even a small dose could pull them back from the brink.

Were it not for the terrifying nature of the individual controlling the elixir, Ying Huan believed every faction would abandon all else to vie for possession of this miraculous medicine.

He hurriedly questioned the soldier.

“Where is this celestial being now?”

“Still within Jiulu City, Your Majesty.”

Ying Huan turned to the chief eunuch.

“Issue an edict to the Minister of the Imperial Treasury and the Grand Minister of Agriculture to arrange immediate disaster relief. Also, summon the Crown Prince to see me.”

The eunuch responded with a “Yes,” then quickly departed.

Ying Huan then inquired further into details from the soldier before dismissing him to rest. Returning to the desk, he studied the scroll again, then pulled out a previous report from the Liu family sent from Leping City.

“The outsiders call the Blood Jiao a fiend disrupting the mortal realm. What is the significance? My realm should be the mortal world; what lies beyond the mortal realm? Might I, through this event, seize immortality?”

“Throughout history, emperors have been called Sons of Heaven—can I come even closer to Heaven itself?”

No matter how formidable their martial arts or lofty their status, Ying Huan could not suppress a surge of excited thoughts bubbling within his heart.