I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 192: Chapter 80: Mountain Collapse

”A city massacre? The army is about to besiege Yunshan City?”

A chill ran down Fang Rui’s spine. ”What does the caravan plan to do?”

”We’ll stay in the city for now and see how the situation develops.”

Steward Chen smiled bitterly. ”It takes time to procure supplies. By the time we’re ready to leave, what if we run right into the Official Army? They could force us to storm the walls like cannon fodder...”

Isn’t that exactly what happened to Uncle Fu Quan and the others from Willow Alley back in Changshan City?

Don’t think that tactic is unique to the Taiping Army. That Iron Butcher is a ruthless man capable of slaughtering an entire city. There’s no doubt he’d do something like that.

”Staying behind isn’t a good option, either.”

Fang Rui narrowed his eyes. ”Li Xuantong is in the city. With him in command, it’s unlikely the city will surrender outright. If the walls are breached, the Rebel Army will scatter, and the Iron Butcher might just decide to massacre the city again.”

”Isn’t that the truth?!”

Steward Chen’s face was grim. ”But it’s not like we have a choice, is it? If we had known, we would’ve been better off staying in Changshan City instead of rushing to leave!”

”Indeed,” Fang Rui nodded.

The caravan feared a massacre, and so did he—not for himself, but for Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan.

’If there’s really a massacre, I doubt I’ll be able to protect everyone, even with my current power...’ A shadow fell over Fang Rui’s heart.

”Steward Chen, your caravan travels far and wide. You must have a map of Daze Prefecture, right? Might I be able to take a look at it?” he asked suddenly after a moment of thought.

”Well... Lord Fang, we probably do have one, but I’ve never seen it myself. It’s likely that only Young Master Jiang has it. It’s a closely guarded secret.”

Steward Chen looked troubled. ”I have no authority in a matter like this. I can only take you to see Young Master Jiang... But Lord Fang, let me be frank. That map is the foundation of our caravan’s business. It’s best not to get your hopes up.”

”Don’t worry, I understand.”

...

Under Steward Chen’s guidance, Fang Rui found Jiang Yan. He explained that he wished to see the caravan’s map and was willing to pay silver coins for the privilege. He also promised not to use it to conduct business in Daze Prefecture or compete with the Jiang Family’s caravan.

Jiang Yan hesitated for only a moment before saying, ”What’s the difficulty in that? If Young Master Fang wishes to see it, I’ll go and fetch it for you!”

”As for payment... I’ve heard Young Master Fang has a reputation for spending money like water. I can’t compare to that, but I’m not one to haggle over a bit of coin, either!”

In the past, he most likely wouldn’t have agreed so readily.

But in the current circumstances—beset by dangers both internal and external, with no easy choice to stay or to go—material possessions like maps and silver coins, while important, had lost some of their significance.

Jiang Yan was a decisive man. Exchanging a glance at the map for a favor from an expert like Fang Rui might just save his life if the city fell. It was an investment that was absolutely worth making.

It had to be said, the man truly lived up to his reputation as the leader of a caravan that journeyed far and wide; there was a grand, magnanimous side to his character.

Soon, Jiang Yan returned with the map and allowed Fang Rui to examine it.

The map was meticulously detailed, especially in the regions along the caravan’s routes, such as Changshan, Yunshan, Changhuai, and Bai Chuan. It even came with a set of supplementary notes describing the distinctive features of each location.

—This was the fruit of decades of exploration by the Jiang Family, an effort that had cost them countless men and resources.

Thanks to his advanced Martial Arts Realm, Fang Rui had long since developed a photographic memory. He quickly committed the map to memory and said, ”My thanks, Young Master Jiang. I will remember this favor.”

...

After returning to his small courtyard, Fang Rui spent half the day making preparations.

After advancing his Beast Taming Technique to the Minor Achievement stage, he had used the caravan’s connections and some silver coins to buy and tame five or six ferocious hounds. He then put his Medical Skill to use, concocting a few substances to set up around the perimeter.

Combined with the caravan’s own security, this triple layer of protection should hold for a short while, at least.

Next, Fang Rui informed Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady that he had business to attend to and would be leaving for a while. He promised he would definitely return before the Official Army laid siege to the city.

After that, Fang Rui packed a bag, borrowed a fine horse from the caravan, and rode out of the city.

He had no sooner left than news arrived in the city that very evening: ”The Iron Butcher has departed from Bai Chuan and will soon be upon Yunshan City.” The gates were shut, sealing the city.

...

NEIGH~

At dusk that day, Fang Rui rode hard and fast, arriving once again at Eagle’s Beak Gorge.

’If the Official Army is to march on Yunshan City, Eagle’s Beak Gorge is the fastest route.’

A glint in his eye, Fang Rui dismounted. Instead of entering the gorge, he secured his horse in a sheltered spot.

Then, with a light touch of his toes, he rose like a feather. Using his hands and feet in concert, he scrambled up the cliff face as nimbly as an ape.

Along the way, he could see large fissures spiderwebbing across the cliff face, a result of the severe drought that year.

Before long, he reached the top and gazed down.

In the twilight’s afterglow, the entire gorge was painted a rugged gold. Far below lay the extremely narrow valley path, flanked by cliffs covered in a network of fissures that crisscrossed like the pattern on a turtle’s shell.

’This is even better than I imagined.’

Fang Rui’s eyes glinted. ’To carry out my plan, I’ll need another kind of ”tool”—the Earth Armor Centipede!’

From a recent casual chat with Steward Chen, he had learned that Earth Armor Centipedes don’t remain underground constantly; they surface periodically to breathe.

So, using his Feng Shui Skill, which had reached Minor Achievement, he pinpointed several likely locations. Checking them one by one, he indeed found several Earth Armor Centipedes, which he then tamed with his Beast Taming Technique.

The Beast Taming Technique, to be blunt, wasn’t all that remarkable. It was essentially the ”carrot and the stick” approach. However, in a world with Extraordinary Power, this principle was taken to its absolute extreme.

Fang Rui’s method was simple: first, he beat the Earth Armor Centipedes until they were psychologically traumatized. If they disobeyed, he would torture them some more, planting a seed of terror to ensure their fear of him.