Xu Jingfeng had delivered the antidote for the sacrifices beforehand. After working through half the night, Wei Yuan and his men were finally able to revive all of them.

After that, Wei Yuan set up a makeshift camp on a clearing at the edge of the forest. He then confined the sacrifices to observe for any abnormalities, and stationed a large contingent of cultivators to guard the area.

The sacrifices looked completely emotionless even after they had woken up from their extended slumber. They obediently did whatever they were told without crying or causing a commotion.

Xu Jingfeng had already told him about this. To prevent the sacrifices from causing trouble or even escaping, they had all been treated via arrays, Daoist spells, and medicine beforehand. The methods came from none other than the Shamans themselves, and they stripped the sacrifices of most of their emotions.

Without emotions, a person gradually loses the ability to think, not to mention that the medicine were designed to impair the mind as well. Over time, the sacrifices all became vacant-minded.

The Shamans only valued their Dao Foundation and primordial spirit. They did not care if the sacrifice was retarded so long as these two objects were intact.

Most of the sacrifices just sat on the ground and stared blankly at nothing after they awoke. Only a small number of superior sacrifices were sneakily observing their surroundings. To their credit, they were being very careful about it. However, Wei Yuan’s perception was powerful beyond their imagination. He easily noticed their hidden movements.

It would appear that some of the sacrifices managed to preserve a portion of their mind. However, they probably didn’t know that everything that happened in Qingming fell under his scrutiny. Thus, he decided to wait and see what they would do next.

After the sacrifices had awakened, Wei Yuan ordered the men to deliver the food and drinks and build a dozen or so large shacks for them to stay in temporarily. Moments later, Sun Yu appeared in a rush and started inspecting their conditions.

Obviously, it would be best if the sacrifices could regain their sanity. Even a partial recovery was better than no recovery. Most of them had cultivated before, so their physical condition far exceeded that of an ordinary mortal. As long as they hadn’t completely lost their minds, they were capable of handling many tasks.

A whopping 100,000 immortal silver had flowed back into the Xu Clan’s coffers after the arrival of this batch of sacrifices. However, no one seemed to object to this. After all, everyone had witnessed the power of the Shamans’ blood curse with their own eyes. Spending some immortal silver to buy back the sacrifices was certainly preferable to leaving them to become fuel for a deadly blood curse.

Over the next few days, Xu Jingfeng demonstrated an unexpected level of efficiency. He was able to track down three Shaman transit camps in a row.

Wei Yuan wasted no time upon obtaining the camps’ locations. First, he sent Bao Yun to scout out the three camps. Then, he divided his forces into three groups, he and Bao Yun led a group, Ji Liuli led another on her own, and Feng Tingyu and Cui Yu led the third. The three forces set out simultaneously, sweeping through all the camps and recovering over eight hundred sacrifices in one fell swoop.

To reward Xu Jingfeng for his excellent efficiency, Wei Yuan struck a deal with him in the name of the Shamans and procured large quantities of grain, minerals, and various seeds, along with over a thousand sets of armor, 1000 high-quality strong bows, and 100,000 arrows. This deal resulted in another 50,000 taels of immortal silver flowing back to the Xu Clan’s coffers. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Over the next ten days or so, tens of thousands more mortals would arrive in the realm, boosting their numbers to over thirty thousand. Wei Yuan had also accumulated over seventy wisps of blue qi and one wisp of advanced blue qi. To his surprise, the advanced blue qi actually came from Xu Jingfeng. It gave him an unexpected insight into the man’s loyalty.

The human settlement by the small lake had already grown to a considerable size. Although dozens of four-storey wooden buildings had been constructed, it quickly became clear that they were but a drop in the bucket, not even after Wei Yuan had divided each room into three smaller rooms that measured only two zhang on each side. A single wooden building could at most accommodate a little over two hundred people, meaning that all of the wooden buildings combined could only accommodate six thousand people tops. As a result, everyone else could only live in temporary shacks.

The arrival of tens of thousands of mortals instantly left Xiao Yu, Cui Yu, and the scions swamped with work. Having learned at least some military strategy and many ways of leadership and management from their elders, they knew their way around as a matter of course.

They worked day and night to tally the population, register the cultivators and those with specialized skills, organize the cultivators into separate units, and recruit able-bodied youngsters for various tasks.

Conflicts were inevitable with such a large number of people concentrated in one place. Some people took advantage of the situation to stir up trouble as well.

Wei Yuan knew full well that harsh measures were necessary in times of chaos. Without hesitation, he had a dozen or so ringleaders arrested and executed, and assigned cultivators to patrol the city day and night. In the end, he was able to cow the unruly bunch into submission.

Among the executed were several people who, despite having a valid point, chose to make a mountain out of a molehill. Once Wei Yuan had beheaded them all, the populace realized that Wei Yuan was by no means a man to be trifled with.

After strict discipline was enforced, order was finally restored among the tens of thousands of people. Originally, once the census was completed in two days, they were to be officially registered as subjects of the realm. Some people remained defiant, though. They had initially come hoping to get lucky and secure a new status for themselves, but upon seeing the abundance of high cultivators in the realm, they realized that their prospects were hopeless. Consequently, they longed to return to their former days of plundering and pillaging.

It would have been one thing if these men had slipped away quietly, but they were determined to make one last score before leaving. Late one night, they ambushed and killed the guards, seized a cache of military weapons and mystic artifacts, and attempted to flee.

It was a mistake. The Shattered Realm might be a lawless land, but Qingming was not. Wei Yuan had become alert the moment they attacked and killed the first guard, and Zhang Sheng had immediately intervened afterward. He was able to subdue all eight of them in one fell swoop.

Wei Yuan wasted no time in executing the eight culprits before everyone’s eyes. No one was spared, not even the three Dao Foundation stage cultivators, one of whom was in the late stage.

Seven days later, the registration of the mortals was finally complete, with the final roster filling two large boxes. There were also two backup copies, all recorded on a piece of jade paper. As mortals continued to arrive in a steady stream, the final tally exceeded forty thousand.

With the registration and census completed, the settlement by the small lake officially became a city with proper governance—though, it was still largely a shantytown in terms of appearance.

This was the first ever mortal city within the realm of Qingming. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it would also become the mortal city closest to the core region in the future.

It went without saying that a city needed a name. Drawing upon everything he had learned in his lifetime, as well as all he had seen and heard since arriving in the western regions, Wei Yuan ultimately decided to name the city “Yong’an[1]”.

With the name settled, Wei Yuan ordered the paper and brush to be brought and laid out on the table. Then, with a calm and composed mind, he dipped his brush in ink and wrote the word, “Yong’an.”

As he pressed down the final stroke, various images seemed to flash before Wei Yuan’s eyes: the shantytowns in the northern district of Willow Ash Town, the decapitated human sacrifices on the battlefields, the corpses that had fallen by the roadside at some unknown time. It all caused a flame to ignite fiercely in his heart!

The brush in his hand felt as heavy as a mountain, yet as light as a feather. When he lifted it, it felt as if an entire mountain peak was shifting with it.

The ink on the word suddenly blurred before slowly coming into focus. It looked majestic and boundless, exuding the vastness of heaven and earth. It was easily the finest word Wei Yuan had ever written in his life. Even when compared to some of the era’s renowned calligraphers, it was only slightly inferior in technique, and far superior in terms of grandeur and vision.

Wei Yuan stared intently at the word before breaking into a sudden smile. Then, he ripped the paper to shreds, crumpled the scraps into a ball, and tossed them into the wastebasket without a care. With that done, he unfolded a new sheet of paper and wrote several versions of the same word in quick succession. They all had their own flaws, and not one flaw was the same as the other. Judging by the quality of these new pieces, his calligraphy skill was worse than even Xu Zhiyuan’s.

When he was ready, Wei Yuan picked up the stack of paper and went to Zhang Sheng’s residence.

At the moment, Zhang Sheng was standing before his desk and holding up a strangely-shaped component, examining it closely. Upon seeing Wei Yuan, he asked, “What ails you this time?”

Wei Yuan replied, “The mortals have been registered, and the city is complete. In the future, it will become the heart of Qingming. After much deliberation, I have decided to name it Yong’an. However, no matter how many times I write the name, the results are never quite satisfactory. That is why I thought to ask you to write it for me, Master.”

Zhang Sheng smiled broadly. “So that’s what this is about. Bring me the words you’ve written; let’s see if your skills have deteriorated.”

Wei Yuan did just that, and Zhang Sheng went through the papers one by one. He offered off-the-cuff critiques that were nonetheless spot on.

But after reviewing just a few sheets of paper, Zhang Sheng gave Wei Yuan a glare and said, “Your words are either lacking in structure, overly extreme, or merely showy. Each one contains a different flaw. How remarkable! Realm Lord Wei, are you trying to tell me that this isn’t your true level of skill?”

Wei Yuan obediently stood in place and replied, “I was afraid you would think that I hadn’t put in the effort.”

Zhang Sheng snorted. “There was no need to go to such lengths. You’re already quite tricky as you are.”

His Master pushed the parts and ores way to one side before casually spreading out a sheet of paper on the desk. He dipped his brush in ink, but did not put it to paper immediately. Instead, he said with a pensive look, “Judging by the calligraphy you just wrote, your skill has now reached the stage where you can infuse intent into your characters. In terms of mastery, you are no less accomplished than your teacher, me. So why didn’t you write it yourself?”

Wei Yuan replied, “This disciple feels that you should be the one to write it as this is your first city[2].”

Zhang Sheng stopped delaying any longer and calmed his mind. Just as he was about to put brush to paper, the past decade or so suddenly flashed through his mind. All these years, he had stayed by his disciple’s side and watched him grow step by step. He had even established a foothold in this land that was surrounded by predators and even built a city from the ground up.

Though the city currently housed only tens of thousands of destitute commoners, who could say what the future held?

His mind grew calm, and his heart turned clear and serene. He then guided his wrist, lifted the brush, and wrote the word, “Yong’an.”

The word was upright and balanced, subtle yet profound, smooth and rounded in every stroke, and without a trace of sharpness.

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Wei Yuan would hardly have believed that the word was written by Zhang Sheng himself. His Master was an unparalleled sword cultivator who had attained the insight to wield four immortal swords of slaughter—was it truly possible for someone like him to produce calligraphy that was completely devoid of any worldly taint?

Zhang Sheng seemed extremely pleased with his handiwork. He studied it repeatedly for quite some time before finally letting out a sigh, saying, “Sanctity on the inside, sovereignty on the outside—I wonder when I’ll ever be able to write something like this again. Take them.”

Wei Yuan reminded him, “Master, you haven’t signed your name yet.”

Zhang Sheng gave a soft “Oh” before signing his name. This time, the two words exuded just a hint of unparalleled sword intent.

In the end, the man had failed to conceal his true nature perfectly.

Having received Zhang Sheng’s calligraphy, Wei Yuan left to have it mounted. Next came the task of filling the key positions within the city. For his first choice, Wei Yuan chose Xiao Yu to be the first city lord.

It went without saying that Xiao was utterly stunned. He couldn’t fathom why Wei Yuan had chosen him out of all the people in the Palace to hold such an important post. However, Wei Yuan clearly wasn’t interested in hearing his objections. As soon as he finished speaking, he was gone.

It took Xiao Yu a while to come to his senses. He was well aware of Yong’an’s importance as a matter of course—it was destined to become the capital of the realm of Qingming, after all. But to choose him to govern a metropolis of tens of thousands of mortals? Was Wei Yuan sure he hadn’t gotten the wrong person for the job?

In his heart, Xiao Yu hurled a barrage of harsh insults at Wei Yuan. As he cursed, he abandoned his initial thought of packing his belongings and decided to stay just a little longer.

With the Shamans suffering consecutive setbacks and even beginning to withdraw from the Shattered Realm, one might say that Qingming had finally found its footing. Consequently, Xiao Yu had felt that his mission to save Wei Yuan was more or less complete. He still had plenty of matters to attend to back in his clan, and Qingming’s cultivation environment certainly was no match for that of his clan or the Palace of Absolute Beginning. Besides, immortal swords were still sealed in this heavens-damned place. The sooner he could leave, the better.

Originally, Xiao Yu had planned to bid farewell to Wei Yuan in a few days. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought that the guy would suddenly lose his mind and appoint him as the city lord.

Considering that there were still so much work to be done in Qingming, Xiao Yu weighed the pros and cons and, in the end, relented. He decided that he would put his plans on hold for another half a month or so, staying until the new city was in decent shape before leaving[3].

1. Meaning Forever Peace. ☜

2. You can tell how well Wei Yuan understands his master, and how much he loves him. If he had shown his masterpiece to his master directly, the man most likely wouldn’t write another because he would think his disciple has outdone him and feel embarrassed, or there’s no need to usurp his disciple. ☜

3. You fool! He saw through everything! Everything! ☜