CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 26 GIVING UP THE PLAN

After pondering for a moment, Dongfang Zhao looked at the two people below and asked, "You may be wondering why the Imperial Court *doesn’t* extend a helping hand, but instead lets the plague-infected commoners perish on their own!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing and Wei Lan exchanged glances, both maintaining a unified silence.

Seeing this, Dongfang Zhao’s expression was calm. "It’s actually normal to have such doubts. But, more than two hundred years ago during the plague, the Imperial Court did not sit idly by. In the one hundred and thirty-second year of Great Qin, havoc was first wreaked by Demon Evils, resulting in heavy casualties among the commoners.

Large piles of corpses accumulated, eventually giving rise to the plague.

That year, the Demon-Subduing Division dispatched many experts to eliminate the Demon Evils ravaging Guangyuan Prefecture. Countless Demon Hunters fell in the process, including many Defender Envoys who were guarding their respective regions.

But one thing you should be clear about is that in the one hundred and thirty-second year of Great Qin, Demon Evils caused chaos and the plague broke out. However, it wasn’t until the one hundred and thirty-sixth year that the plague was truly eradicated. During those few years, the Imperial Court was constantly trying to find a way to deal with the plague.

However, there was no solution. The plague was too strong; from imperial physicians down to folk healers, no one could stop it.

Furthermore, plague-infected commoners fled, spreading the plague even further and causing many more to die from it.

For this reason, the Imperial Court had no choice but to gather all the plague-infected commoners in several cities, leaving them to their fate."

The commoners of Guangyuan Prefecture were people.

So were the commoners of all other prefectures in Great Qin.

The plague was powerful.

They had to make a painful sacrifice.

Otherwise, while the entire Great Qin might not have been completely wiped out by the plague, the number of dead and injured commoners would definitely have increased tensfold.

"Therefore, the Imperial Court’s actions were a reluctant necessity. If you were in the Imperial Court’s position, you would likely make the same choice."

Dongfang Zhao’s words made the two fall silent.

Different perspectives led to different views on things.

If they were the plague-infected commoners, they would naturally be infuriated with the Imperial Court. However, from the Imperial Court’s perspective, its actions were understandable. Strictly speaking, neither side was wrong.

One side wanted to live.

The other wanted to prevent more deaths.

After a long while, Shen Changqing took a deep breath. "The events from over two hundred years ago have passed, and it’s unnecessary to investigate them further now. Mo Zijin’s aim is very simple: he wants to seek revenge for the commoners who perished back then."

Having said that, he hesitated, then voiced his own speculation.

"Looking at the Calamity in Minor Hillock Mountain, I suspect that it might have been formed from the amalgamated resentment of many deceased commoners, creating an unkillable Calamity. If we could dissipate that resentment, could we truly eradicate it?"

"An amalgamation of resentment?" Dongfang Zhao was slightly startled; Shen Changqing’s words seemed to have opened a new door for him.

Immediately, the Defender Envoy fell into silence.

A long time later, Dongfang Zhao came back to his senses and nodded slightly. "What you’ve said is not unreasonable. The appearance of Calamities over the years has always been accompanied by great disasters resulting in the deaths of many commoners. If Calamities are indeed amalgamations of resentment, it’s a distinct possibility.

But even so, dissipating that resentment is definitely not an easy task."

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing couldn’t help but say, "Don’t the Taoist and Buddha Sects have methods for pacifying departed souls? If they take action, perhaps they could pacify that resentment!"

"It seems you know quite a bit about the Buddha and Taoist Sects." Dongfang Zhao glanced at him, then shook his head helplessly.

"Although they do have some methods for pacification, in reality, they aren’t very effective. Such things are usually just tricks used by Jianghu magicians to deceive people; true pacification has never been witnessed.

Moreover, experts from both the Taoist and Buddha Sects have perished in many of the Calamities Great Qin has faced.

This shows that such a method is not really viable."

Shen Changqing was speechless. So it turned out that charlatan Jianghu magicians existed in every world.

He thought that in a world where the Martial Dao was prevalent and all kinds of miraculous methods existed, the Taoist and Buddha Sects shouldn’t be unworthy of their reputation.

Now, however, it seemed that while the Taoist and Buddha Sects might be skilled in combat, pacification was clearly beyond their scope of services.

"Alright, you two have had a hard time. Go and rest for now; we can discuss further tomorrow."

Dongfang Zhao dismissed them.

Seeing this, the two cupped their fists and departed.

After they had departed, Dongfang Zhao’s expression became strange.

An amalgamation of resentment!

Perhaps the Taoist and Buddha Sects truly do have some methods of guidance. This matter needs serious consideration. If the Calamity can be resolved, the pressure on the Demon-Subduing Division will be greatly reduced.

He pondered:

Can the Demon-Subduing Division not deal with the Calamity?

Of course, that’s impossible.

As the strongest institution in Great Qin, the Demon-Subduing Division’s strength is indeed extremely formidable.

They might not be on par with the entire Demon Evil Clan, but they definitely aren’t much weaker. Although the Calamity is strong, it’s incapable of contending with the Demon-Subduing Division.

But the Calamity is immortal and indestructible, so the Demon-Subduing Division won’t waste energy attacking it constantly.

It can’t be killed off.

Going after it is purely a waste of time.

If they’re careless and suffer an unexpected setback, they might even fall prey to the Calamity.

The Demon-Subduing Division doesn’t bother with such thankless tasks. At best, they set up defenses to prevent those mindless fools from entering the Calamity Domain and feeding themselves to it, which would only allow the Calamity to grow stronger quickly.

Even with defenses, the Calamity will continue to grow stronger incessantly.

But at least this can suppress its growth somewhat, preventing its strength from surging all at once.

When I have time, I need to have a good talk with people from the Buddha and Taoist Sects. Moreover, Shen Changqing’s strength is progressing rapidly; he’s almost at the level to enter the Great Sun Furnace. If he’s allowed to continue growing, it’s indeed possible for him to break the Martial Artist Limit.

But—just how powerful can a Martial Artist who breaks the limit become? That’s still a question worth pondering.

Dongfang Zhao’s gaze was profound.

The emergence of an expert who can reach the Martial Artist Limit is definitely a good thing.

However, I can’t be sure how long it will take him to break the Martial Artist Limit.

If it’s a short time, that’s fine. But if it takes a long time, given the current situation, allowing him to break through quietly might not necessarily be a good thing. Never mind, let’s wait and see. We’ll discuss it when he advances to the Great Sun Furnace.

I have to admit, Shen Changqing’s talent is the greatest I’ve ever seen.

No one has ever reached the stage of Tiger Leopard Thunderous Roar in such a short time.

As for whether there’s any trickery involved, I can’t tell.

But as long as he doesn’t betray Great Qin or collude with Demon Evils, any other issues aren’t really problems.

After leaving the Council Hall, Wei Lan paused, her gaze falling on the person beside her. "Shen Chumo, if you have time in the future, feel free to visit the Heavenly Demon Exorcism Department."

"How could I refuse Steward Wei’s invitation? I’ll definitely visit when I have time."

"I’ll take my leave first."

Wei Lan was a reserved person, rarely engaging in much conversation with others. It was only Shen Changqing’s reputation and deeds that had impressed her enough to extend an invitation.

Extending such an invitation was a first for her.

Whether he agreed or not, she would not repeat it.

Watching Wei Lan’s retreating figure, Shen Changqing shook his head and turned back towards the Hidden Heart Pavilion.

He hadn’t gone far when he paused.

Right, I seem to have forgotten to ask about the Demon Evils and the Defender Envoys. I’ll ask tomorrow.

Rushing back from Minor Hillock Mountain could truly be described as nonstop.

Though he couldn’t be said to be very tired, he still felt a bit fatigued.

A good rest was in order, and asking tomorrow would certainly not be too late.

Shen Changqing didn’t believe that the Demon Evils in the Capital City could all be cleared out in one night.

He had just stepped into the Hidden Heart Pavilion when he saw a person coming towards him.

"Brother Jiang!"

"Brother Shen!"

Jiang An greeted him with a warm smile on his face.

He hadn’t met Shen Changqing many times, but the impression the other had left on him was quite favorable.

Not to mention anything else, just his sheer strength was enough to illustrate many things.

Recalling the time in the Demon-Subduing Prison, when the other had quickly dispatched a powerful Resentment Level Monster, still shocked Jiang An.

"Where is Brother Jiang planning to go?"

"The Suppressing Evil Hall needs some research materials, so I’m planning to go to the Demon-Subduing Prison to retrieve some Demon Evils for research."

"Um—"

Jiang An’s words reminded Shen Changqing of the large number of Demon Evils imprisoned in the Demon-Subduing Prison.

"Does Brother Jiang need someone to accompany him?"

"There’s no need for that; the seals were reinforced just a short while ago, so there won’t be any problems. Seeing Brother Shen looking travel-worn, it wouldn’t be right for me to disturb you further," Jiang An declined with a smile.

Although he was from the Suppressing Evil Hall, it didn’t mean he was completely defenseless.

Putting other things aside, just in terms of strength, he was equivalent to a martial artist of the Innate Realm and had some ability to protect himself.

Seeing this, Shen Changqing didn’t insist; his previous offer had merely been a courtesy.

"I’ll be on my way. Farewell, Brother Shen."

"Brother Jiang, take care... Wait, Brother Jiang, hold on a moment!"

Shen Changqing was about to leave but suddenly remembered something and called out to him.

Stopping in his tracks, Jiang An looked puzzled. "Does Brother Shen have anything else?"

"Never mind, it’s nothing. Brother Jiang, go ahead with your business."

Shen Changqing opened his mouth but ultimately decided against asking. Instead, he flashed a smile, gave a slight fist-clasping bow, and then departed.

I originally wanted to ask Jiang An if the Suppressing Evil Hall had any Demon Evils for sale, but on reflection, I realized it would be inappropriate to ask.

Buying Demon Evils at an auction could be excused under the pretext of needing to kill them.

But now, with the Demon Evils already imprisoned in the Demon-Subduing Prison, that excuse wouldn’t hold water.

It might even attract unnecessary trouble.

For this reason, Shen Changqing gave up the idea of purchasing Demon Evils from the Suppressing Evil Hall.

Seeing this, Jiang An was somewhat puzzled, but he didn’t ask further and soon left the Hidden Heart Pavilion.