Dragon Canon

For over a thousand years, Hanyang Pass had been one of the most renowned fortified gateways under heaven. During the years-long great wars of the Shattered Realm, it was ultimately Hanyang Pass that halted the eastward advance of the Shaman’s army.

Hanyang Pass’ most formidable weapon was its eight giant crossbow, capable of firing bolts 10,000 zhang. When specially empowered, their range could be tripled. However, a single shot like this would deplete all the mystic energy of an Avatar.

Although the cost was enormous, once empowered, anywhere within 200 li of Hanyang Pass fell within the range of the giant crossbows. If necessary, this open expanse of hundreds of li wide could be locked down completely. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

It was also thanks to Hanyang Pass that the Xu Clan was able to sever east-west transportation at the time, preventing even a single flying vessel from passing through the pass. It was also the reason Wei Yuan had to take a detour through Zhao on his way back to Qingming to avoid any unexpected incidents, adding another 20,000 li to his journey.

In recent times, the number of refugees seeking to leave the pass had been growing steadily. Lacking reliable information, the refugees had only heard that the western regions were now peaceful and that people were distributing porridge along the way, so they flocked there in droves. News of the Great Karmic Curse had not spread widely, and even if the refugees had heard about it, they would not have understood it.

Currently, tens of thousands of refugees were stuck inside Hanyang Pass. At dawn, many formed long lines at the city gates, waiting to pass through. But for some reason over the past few days, border inspection had suddenly become much stricter, with only a few hundred people allowed through each day. The slightest commotion among the refugees would result in a severe whipping by the garrison troops. Some had even been beaten to death on the spot.

As a result, countless refugees were still stranded inside the pass, while a steady stream of new arrivals continued to pour in from the eastern interior, causing the number of refugees within the pass to grow ever larger.

Inside the garrison headquarters, after listening to his subordinates’ reports, Fan Donghe furrowed his brow and made his way to the garrison commander’s office. The guards led him straight to the rear courtyard, where he saw an elderly man standing by the pond in the back garden, admiring the fish.

Fan Donghe bowed and said, “Greetings, Elder Chunyuan.”

The old man took a handful of fish food and scattered it slowly. The koi in the pond swirled in layers, scrambling for the scarce food. He then asked leisurely, “What brings you here, Garrison Commander Fan? Surely you’re not here about those refugees again?”

Fan Donghe replied, “Yesterday alone, more than five hundred bodies of refugees were counted within the pass. The number of refugees inside the pass is growing by the day, yet we’ve cut our rations of porridge and grain by another half. If this continues for just a few more days, I fear that the death count per day will rise to a thousand!”

The old man raised his eyelids slightly and asked, “What, has your heart been moved to pity, Garrison Commander Fan?”

A flash of anger crossed Fan Donghe’s face, but he knew he was an outsider whose surname wasn’t Xu. The elderly man before him was called Xu Chunyuan, and he was two generations senior even to Xu Zhongxing. After Xu Zhongxing was imprisoned, Xu Chunyuan had taken over as the Pacification Commissioner.

Upon assuming office, Xu Chunyuan’s very first act was to carry out a massive purge of Xu Zhongxing’s loyalists. A significant number of deputy generals, staff generals, and commandants had been assigned to guard city gates, repair military encampments, or even clean out the latrines.

Xu Chunyuan had remained outward courteous toward Fan Donghe because he was an Avatar possessing formidable combat prowess. Fan Donghe, for his part, knew his place and relinquished most of his military and financial authority, retaining control only over the 2,000 veteran soldiers who had always followed him.

However, when it came to dealing with the refugees, the differences between the two sides were only growing wider.

Hearing Xu Chunyuan’s words, Fan Donghe replied, “Elder Chunyuan, in the past we used to let several thousand people to over ten thousand people pass through the pass each day, but now we’ve suddenly cut it down to a few hundred. These refugees do not have a single coin on them, much less night provisions. They’ve survived the entire journey by begging and relying on charity porridge. They can’t leave the pass, and we can’t support so many people. If we cut the porridge rations in half now, aren’t we just driving them to their deaths?”

Xu Chunyuan replied calmly, “In fact, that is exactly what I intend to do. If these refugees leave the pass and head west, aren’t they simply going to join Qingming? That is why they deserve to die. Hmph, I will be blunt. When you used to let people out of the pass at will, you were aiding the enemy!”

Fan Donghe suppressed his anger and said, “I’m afraid this will lead to a popular uprising if this continues, elder.”

“A popular uprising?” A cold smile flitted across Xu Chunyuan’s gaunt face as he replied, “Even if all tens of thousands of refugees in the pass were to rise up together, your two thousand veteran soldiers alone would be enough to handle them, wouldn’t they? They’re nothing but vermin—it wouldn’t take half a night to wipe them all out, would it?”

Fan Donghe took a deep breath and said, “Elder, since you yourself know they’re nothing but vermin—utterly insignificant and a waste of grain—why not let them go? Even if they join Qingming, won’t they still be eating Wei Yuan’s grain? A while back, Commander Administrator Yuan had employed this exact strategy: he had cut off Qingming’s supply lines and driven all the refugees toward the realm to increase Wei Yuan’s burden.”

Xu Chunyuan’s facial muscles twitched slightly. That was about as much effort he was willing to exert to feign a smile. “I don’t care whether Yuan Qingyan’s scheme worked, nor do I care why Wei Yuan wants to take in refugees. I know only this: whatever Wei Yuan sets out to do, I will ensure he fails! Since Wei Yuan wants to take in these refugees, I will not let a single one of them reach Qingming alive!”

“But these refugees have already arrived here—they can’t possibly go back now! I’ve already sent some men to Inner Jin to persuade the refugees to turn back. In a little while, when the spring plowing begins, their numbers will dwindle. As for the ones here now, we might as well set them loose and let them fend for themselves in Outer Jin. They won’t survive long in the Shaman realm anyway.”

Xu Chunyuan arched his eyebrows, a twisted gleam flashing in his eyes, and raised his voice suddenly. “Set them loose?! Haha, as if! If they can’t go back, then let them die! Anyone who wants to join Qingming deserves to die!! I’m not afraid to tell you this: I’ve already captured every single one of the men you sent out to persuade the refugees to turn back! Why? Because I want to see exactly how many of them want to go to Qingming—and I’ll kill every single one of them!”

His last sentence had been ground out through gritted teeth. Fan Donghe sighed inwardly. Xu Chunyuan’s favorite grandson had died in the war against Qingming, and he was the sort of person to hold a grudge over the slightest slight. Naturally, he harbored a deep-seated hatred for Wei Yuan.

“How can you bear to condemn over a hundred thousand refugees to death just to settle a personal grudge, Elder Xu?

Xu Chunyuan sneered. “If you find this unacceptable, then why not resign your post, Lord Fan? It’s easy for you to walk away, but why not think about your old subordinates? What will become of them after you’re gone?”

Veins throbbed at the temples of Fan Donghe, but he managed to restrain himself and said, “Thank you for your advice, elder. I must take my leave!”

Xu Chunyuan tugged a smile that didn’t reach the eye and said, “Have a safe journey. I won’t be seeing you off!”

Back at his official residence, Fan Donghe picked up a teapot on the table and gulped down more than half of the cold tea in one go. However, he could not quell the rage burning within him.

He suddenly raised the teapot and smashed it to pieces on the floor!

The servants and maidservants were so terrified that they fell as silent as winter cicadas and hid far, far away. Not a single one dared to show their face at the moment. This left Fan Donghe with nowhere to vent his rage, and he even began to harbor murderous thoughts.

The sky was overcast today. Though it was noon, the light was as dim as twilight. The wind was chilly as well.

No lamps were lit in the main hall, the study, or the corridors. Everywhere was pitch-black, dim, and cold.

Fan Donghe didn’t want to stay in such a house for even a moment longer. With a flick of his sleeve, he decided to take a stroll through the military camp. Moreover, there was a thorny issue at hand: the men he had sent out to persuade the refugees to return had been captured by Xu Chunyuan, and getting them released would likely involve a great deal of trouble.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and slowly turned around.

There was actually another person standing in the room. They were looking at the scroll hanging on the wall.

Fan Donghe had been so caught up in his turbulent emotions that he hadn’t noticed there was another person in the room at all. Had that person not revealed the slightest trace of their energy, he might have left without a second thought.

The figure turned around, clad in a long black robe and cradling a cat in his arms, and gave him a faint smile. “How have you been, General Fan?”

“Wei Yuan!?” Fan Donghe took a step back, his aura surging suddenly before slowly subsiding.

“You... You were alive?”

“Sorry to let you down, General Fan. I caused quite a stir when I returned a few days ago,” Wei Yuan said.

Fan Donghe had been overwhelmed by the refugees these past few days and had no time to spare for matters in the west. Seeing that he was in a bad mood, none of his aides dared to bring up the subject of Wei Yuan’s return.

Wei Yuan smiled faintly and said, “It’s fine. It’s only natural that General Fan doesn’t know—in fact, Elder Xu doesn’t know either. Reporting the good news but not the bad—that’s a tradition of your Xu Clan, after all.”

Fang Donghe lowered his voice and asked, “If you’re alive, then why aren’t you staying put in your realm? What are you doing here? Are you tired of living?”

“You’ll find out soon enough why I’m here.”

Wei Yuan stroked the cat in his arms and said to it, “You stay here and keep an eye on him. This guy actually cares about the lives of the refugees, so he’s not all that bad. If a fight breaks out, don’t go too hard with your claws; just scratch him half to death.”

The cat meowed and licked its paw in response. So, Wei Yuan set the cat down and turned to leave.

Fan Donghe’s unease grew heavier and heavier as he called out, “Where are you going?”

“To grab a few elders to use as sacrificial offerings.” Without looking back, Wei Yuan walked straight through a wall and vanished.

Just as Fan Donghe was about to give chase, his hair suddenly stood on end, and he stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned his head and saw the cat crouched on the floor, extending a claw that glinted with a cold light. It pointed at Fan Donghe with it, then gestured toward the spot where he had been standing.

Fan Donghe had already recognized the cat. Back on the battlefield, he hadn’t thought it was particularly formidable, but now the cat felt far more powerful than before. As if it was imbued with something extraordinary, he found himself almost unable to muster the will to resist!

Fan Donghe tentatively asked, “Brother Cat, do you truly intend to be my enemy?”

The cat let out a cold, mocking meow, swished its tail to summon Fan Donghe’s sword—which had been hanging on the wall—and then, brandishing a sharp claw, sliced the mystic sword into half-inch-long strips, one by one, as if chopping scallions.

Any thought of resistance died in Fang Donghe’s mind after that.

In the rear garden of the garrison commander’s office, Xu Chunyuan strolled into the warm pavilion. Inside, the maidservants had already set the table with food and drink, and wine was warming on a small red-clay stove nearby. Though it was bitterly cold outside, the pavilion was as warm as spring. A dozen or so candles illuminated the room, banishing all gloom from the hearts of those present.

Xu Chunyuan took his seat at the head of the table and glanced at the dishes laid out before him.

Today’s lunch was a simple meal, consisting of only eight large bowls, eight small bowls, six small plates, and a bowl of double-stewed soup[1]. However, several of the dishes were among Xu Chunyuan’s favorites, which pleased him somewhat. More than half the staff at the garrison headquarters had been replaced; only Xu Zhongxing’s few personal maidservants and the cook remained.

Just then, the door to the warm chamber swung open. Someone had pulled back the curtain and stepped inside, bringing in a gust of chilly wind. The person’s timing was truly terrible, and the gust of wind an absolute downer.

Xu Chunyuan stared at his wine cup and, without looking up, barked, “Get out!”

The person who entered said nothing. The door remained open, and the cold drafts continued to sweep in in gusts.

Xu Chunyuan still did not look up. Suddenly, a drop of wine rose to the surface of his cup, the shot like lighting toward the spot where the intruder stood. It then repeated the motion several times in the blink of an eye! Whether the intruder was a maidservant or a housekeeper, they would have been pierced repeatedly, riddled like a honeycomb.

Suddenly, Xu Chunyuan sensed something was wrong—that drop of wine hadn’t struck anyone at all. He finally looked up, only to find that the spot where the intruder should’ve been standing was completely empty. There was no one there.

He glanced left and right. Only then he finally noticed that there was another person sitting at the table.

The person was seated to his right, but Xu Chunyuan had absolutely no idea when they had entered or when they had taken their seat. Moreover, although he could see the person sitting there, the spot remained empty in his perception. It was as if they didn’t exist in this world at all.

A chill settled in Xu Chunyuan’s heart, but he remained outwardly calm. He took a closer look at the person and exclaimed in surprise, “Wei Yuan!”

Even if he had never met him in person, all the elders had seen Wei Yuan’s portrait. Xu Chunyuan immediately glanced to his left and right, trying to see just how many assassins Wei Yuan had brought with him.

Wei Yuan smiled faintly, “Elder Xu, you’re getting on in years. Your eyesight really isn’t what it used to be. No need to look further, there’s no one else here. I don’t need any help dealing with just a few Avatars.”

1. You might think this is ridiculous but back in the day (well actually even today it’s still a tradition in some Chinese households) this is quite common in wealthy households. The poor can barely afford a mantou a day while some of the riches are taking one bite or one sip from each dish before washing it all down the drain. Literally. It was some mad, mad days. ☜