Chapter 26: The Southern Barbarians In Dire Straits
In Yun Qie Valley, besides the numerous bright lanterns, there are also deep ditches and abysses that never see sunlight; this is the dungeon.
In this dungeon, there are occasionally bursts of miserable howls. If one looks down along these dark stairs, in this abyss there are iron chains binding mountain imps, hyena bears, snake people, and so on.
It can be said that all kinds of foreign race monsters from the Southern Border can be found here. These foreign race monsters are not only locked by iron chains, but also controlled by a fire talisman on their foreheads!
This fire talisman is extremely eerie; it appears in a state of red combustion, just like the continuously burning ember on “mosquito coils” or “cigarettes” after being lit. However, these foreign race creatures are like humans, with sixty to seventy percent water content—how can they burn like incense?
In this dungeon, all the scorched ones are wicks, and when the wicks are fanned, they brighten—yes, like lighting a mosquito coil and blowing on it with the mouth to produce bright light.
The Li Huo Sect disciples who come here to guard are all Daoist boys, but no matter how ferocious or blue-faced with fangs these Southern Border foreign race monsters are, they all fear these walking Daoist boys and the palm leaf fans in their hands!
With a slight wave of the palm leaf fan, in the dungeon, all the lantern flames affected by the wind flare up together.
And after being fanned, these numerous servants lit as sky lanterns have their eyes bulging in agony, their bodies and souls burning in pain!—Oh, if described with modern perception, it’s like thermite falling on the skin, without timely cutting away the flesh with a knife.
Above Yun Qie Valley, the immortal family atmosphere from the prestigious sect era is still preserved, but beneath those immortal family pavilions and towers on the mountain lies an accumulation of massive charred bones.
…Switching to the Wu Family Army side…
From the secrets Wu Fei obtained from the Da Yao Divine Capital side, all information about the Li Huo Sect was completely sealed away four hundred years ago because there was a major “rebellion” case four hundred years ago. And the reason for this “rebellion” case? His clan’s brother only found one piece of information—”Elixir of Immortality”.
When Wu Fei heard this secret, his only reaction in his heart was “Ah?”
You must know, back then the “Li Huo Sect” was skilled in alchemy and was one of the top five major sects under heaven. For such a sect to be involved in certain matters of the Da Yao Emperor and then vanish completely?
Oh, thinking about it, it’s quite normal. Isn’t it the same in these hundred years? The Qinghua Sect in the Southwest was conscripted by the Imperial Court for multiple alchemists to refine pills because they failed to enshrine enough spirit tea on time.
This imperial family is truly like accompanying a tiger.
…Sighs on the dry shore and struggles in water and fire…
Inside Yun Qie Valley, the young third generation disciple Jia Mude is holding an alchemy furnace while walking up the steps. Jia Mude is very refined, no different from a Central Plains scholar. As a direct disciple, after entering the hall, he is revered by numerous inner sect disciples. Jia Mude looks at these inner sect disciples like a farmhand looking at livestock.
And these inner sect disciples, each wearing purple-red long robes, kneel and bow to Jia Mude. Oh, they gaze longingly at the alchemy furnace in Jia Mude’s hand, each face pale bluish-white with unnatural cheek rouge, fingers blackish-red. And each carries various containers, some gourds, others small cauldrons.
What these containers hold is the freshly harvested Elixir of Immortality!
These Elixirs of Immortality all grow on outer mountains, that is, in miasma-filled caves piled with flesh and blood, where lingzhi mushrooms or snow lotuses are planted in this flesh and blood. Of course, these spiritual herbs nurtured by flesh and blood are no longer called by their original names: the lingzhi becomes ghost-faced lingzhi, and the snow lotus becomes blood lotus.
These harvested spiritual herbs are restless, each strand of root like a living thing, bloodthirsty and wanting to burrow into human skin and flesh. Sure enough, the inner sect disciples present are using runes to suppress these “Elixirs of Immortality” with all their might.
Jia Mude walks to the front of the platform and pours the ash from the alchemy furnace into the central ground’s Yin Yang Fish disk. (This movement can reference Indians pouring batter onto a plate when cooking.)
Those inner sect disciples who had previously maintained kneeling postures reach out like starving ghosts to grab these “red-black interspersed, seemingly extinguished yet reigniting” ashes and stuff them into their mouths, choking but still forcing them down their throats.
Bright firelight surges from the bellies of the inner sect disciples, and after flames erupt from their stomachs, they hurriedly open the nearby gourds or small cauldrons beside them, shoving handfuls of the eerie spiritual herbs into their mouths. When these originally eerie spiritual herbs try to insert their tendrils into these inner sect disciples, all the blood-thread tendrils are scorched and curled, like squid on a hot iron plate, and then they are chewed up by these disciples.
Squish, squish, like pigs devouring swill, all the disciples frantically swallow the Elixir of Immortality.
After finishing swallowing, once the internal flames balance with the evil aura of the spiritual herbs, everyone disregards the blood at their mouths, sitting upright in the most orthodox Daoist Sect meditation posture to regulate the two opposing auras in their bodies. During the finger-pinching Yao Calculation process, they look no different from prestigious sect disciples absorbing spirit energy to nourish themselves.
Why is it like this?
These spiritual herbs grown on flesh and blood can grow a hundred times faster than naturally grown spiritual herbs!
This is a method the Da Yao imperial family sought out back then to obtain elixirs of longevity. Consuming such spiritual herbs grants longevity; even if flesh and blood decay to white bones, recovery is possible. But the side effect is that after eating this, rationality gradually fades, leading to bloodthirst.
And for the imperial family, they can be cruel but not lose their wits. Thus, this heaven-shocking calamity caused the Li Huo Sect to flee from the Central Plains.
However, the Li Huo Sect that left Da Yao did not abandon this spiritual herb. Or rather, the people who forced the Li Huo Sect to refine this Elixir of Immortality back then did not think they were wrong. For a thousand years, the Li Huo Sect has been seeking ways to suppress the side effects of the “elixir of longevity”.
And the method used is refining external elixirs for suppression, that is, borrowing sacred fire into lanterns in the headquarters, then using living beings as oil to ignite and obtain ash. The ash enters the body, forming corresponding Yao Calculation “Yang Yao” in cultivators who have consumed the Elixir of Immortality, thereby achieving balance.
Because with the help of the elixir of immortality, “blood qi accumulation” has no thresholds, while external elixir suppression becomes increasingly important.—The current method of external elixir suppression is the “Ash Flow Pill” being consumed in the valley now; those lanterns encircling the mountain range are lit to obtain “ash”. And the lanterns consume the “vitality of the mountain”.
However, the “Ash Flow Pill” can only treat symptoms. As long as the “elixir of immortality” is continuously consumed, the “Ash Flow Pill” can only suppress.
And the higher the cultivation, the stronger the suppression needed. Now those three elders with the highest cultivation can only hide in the Li Huo Cave, relying on proximity to the sacred object for suppression.
Compared to these inner sect disciples, Jia Mude knows more secrets! The Li Huo Sect had seventeen elders before fleeing, but now only three remain.
Third generation disciples in the sect change every ten years, second generation disciples every hundred years, but those three elders have not changed in a millennium!
And the deeper secret is that the three surviving elders of the Li Huo Sect are the Da Yao imperial descendants who took the medicine back then. They have always retained their jade slips from that time—they are the direct lineage. And yet, no Da Yao historical records mention any of this.
As for the Li Huo Sect? In the first hundred years after being exiled, they kept attempting rebellion; any Li Huo Sect elders inside who were unwilling to rebel disappeared silently.
Jia Mude is now a direct disciple precisely because he is also direct lineage.
…Outside the Ling River…
Ang Ri rides Tai Yue Luan to his tribe’s temporary settlement.
His tribe is temporarily settled in the central forest of the Ling River, where crow people use agate knives to cut trees, dry the wood, insert it into silt, and then build stilt houses.
Ang Ri enters the largest stilt tree house, where some rather poor-quality crow people climb up to stand.
Ang Ri hesitates for a moment, takes out black-red interspersed pills, and gives them to these crow people. These mutation-pained crow people kneel shakily and consume the pills. As the pills enter, in an instant, the mutated, crooked spikes on their bodies melt, then turn into pus and fall off.
The crow people look at their bodies restored to normal, eyes showing joy, yet unaware that deep blood color has seeped into their feathers.
Ang Ri glances at the pills and nods silently; the pills are effective, but so are the side effects. It seems the crow people race, even after returning, is still destined to be vassals.
…Line dividing slaves and slave hunters…
October, after the rainy season, northern Crimson Serpent Mountain—that is, within the first force range Wu Fei plans to push south and nibble at.
The little sparrow style tapping begins; Wu Hanluan is the kind father, Wu Fei is the “little daddy”.
The hunters of Yongji Pass darted rapidly through the jungle, with Spirit Movement Talismans pasted on their bodies, and they naturally possessed the talent to evade plants and trees, so the jungle twigs were quickly retreating behind them.
Meanwhile, these sentries clad in light armor ran while provocatively whistling at those behind them.
Soon the chase reached the main road. On this major road that Southern Border merchants often took after Exit Closed-Door Cultivation, a trembling roar came from the jungle on the left side of the road, but as the sentries led the way out, the armored soldiers ambushing on the road showed no fear and methodically formed their military formation. Those responsible for pulling the tripwires on the ground pulled the tripwires, while those responsible for throwing also poked rows of small holes in the lime bags, ensuring the lime bags would naturally split upon hitting the target, allowing the lime to scatter.
Meanwhile, the mountain monsters running through the jungle, while chasing what they saw as a few “monkeys,” suddenly arrived at this open area, watching the monkeys scatter on the road, but also seeing a neat line of soldiers standing on the hillside ahead. They were pounding their shields in unison, inviting this group of mountain monsters to come up and play.
The mountain monsters had no brains, and seeing that pile of little dwarves on the hillside (the Wu Family Army was still squatting down, looking even less conspicuous). They roared and charged up.
After the sentries who lured the mountain monsters returned to formation, several engineers busied themselves, and the soldiers heavily stomped the steel stake crossbars with their iron-soled boots, inserting them one foot deep into the soil. The twisted ropes between the steel stakes, matching the color of the soil and rocks, became visible when pulled.
It is worth mentioning here that the calculating Wu Fei determined through testing: this method of setting up tripwires with steel stakes was better for recovery than scattering caltrops; caltrops would go missing after scattering a few, but these steel stake tripwires could be retrieved in sheets. When the effect was about the same, tripwires were used as much as possible for capturing slaves.
At this time, all these tripwires were deployed six zhang outside the halberd soldiers in formation, meaning that when these giant monsters tripped and face-planted, their foreheads would just reach the range of the halberd soldiers’ strikes.
Sure enough, after the mountain monsters charged up the hillside, they kowtowed one by one in front of the formation, only to have their bodies hooked by the leisurely halberd soldiers.
After the wooden hammers in the mountain monsters’ hands fell, they were pinned to the ground by weapons and struggled desperately to get up, but were held down dead by seven or eight halberds hooking their flesh; the melee turned into a simple tug-of-war. The pained mountain monsters felt very frustrated: when these little people stood before them, they smashed them two at a time, but now that they had fallen, they were bullied and couldn’t get their bodies up.
As the ropes were looped on and tied tight, these mountain monsters were sent into cages.
Two days later, the following merchant caravan would bring physicians to the starved and disoriented mountain monsters, Force-feed them anesthetic powder, cut open their skulls, paste in spirit taming talismans, and send them to the mine to dig.
The merchants’ profit-seeking nature had perfected the slave industries’ processes over these two years; the Wu Family Army was like a great white shark, and the merchants were pilot fish—the pilot fish provided the route, the great white shark went up to tear and solve, and the pilot fish digested the interests.
After a “blood battle” ended, the soldiers who had won a hearty victory all sat down to eat, waiting for the settlement of this battle’s “travel allowance.” —However, soon after the accounts were reported, the soldiers below who had fought in the blood battle immediately shouted: “How is it only twenty wen per person? What about merit, merit points?!” Then they got a scolding from the military police: “Merit? Just because you swung your halberd and almost couldn’t hold
Merit is the output share linked to “slaves”, a special blood reward. In this small battle, only the ten sentries who entered the jungle to lure monsters could obtain 0.03 merit points.
He also felt at the sentry that his merit points might have been calculated too low. However, the quick answer he received was: “No, not too low.” And they gave a reason: if among the mountain monsters there were mixed in small high-speed pursuit targets similar to hunting dogs or tamed wolves, the sentry’s escape difficulty would increase by a coefficient, worth 0.3 merit points, but now there were only mountain monsters, this kind of opponent that looks huge but is not flexible, so the merit points would be fewer.
As for why the mountain monster’s tamed wolves did not charge together with the mountain monster? Because these tamed dogs had been poisoned by the dog food fed to them by the hunters a few days earlier. This was not actually poisoning, but a gu worm given by Wu Hanluan. After the dogs ate it, the gu worm stayed in their stomachs, and it could be triggered simply by beating a gong.
At Yongji Pass, Wu Fei watched the sample under San Gu’s knife: “Eww~ Yuck~” (disgusted), this Gu Worm looks just like a maggot.
Moreover, the blood reward for poisoning the mountain monster and taming the wolf in advance was credited by Wu Fei to the soldier who proposed using the gu worm and the hunter who carried out the gu worm deployment.
Compared to the past when they relied on generals to be impartial, Wu Fei, when calculating Blood Rewards, set detailed reward and punishment standards for each level as much as possible.——If dissatisfied, they can appeal; it won’t let soldiers take more, but it also won’t let them take less.
In the military formation, the soldiers gnawing on roasted rice and flour cakes ended their complaints. Those old-timers, upon seeing the clear “pay slip” rules, also quieted down grudgingly.
So the story goes, this expedition was still relatively easy. After large and small battles swept clean all the strongholds that threatened the trade routes, one could at least pocket two or three strings of cash. If they caused trouble again, there wouldn’t be this travel allowance next time.
After the meal ended, the soldiers began to go about their own business, waiting for the merchant caravan behind to pick up the goods, while the officers discussed where to dig out the next nest.
……
Looking back at these mountain monsters already in cages, if they had brains to train hunting dogs! That wouldn’t be the price of ordinary slaves. Nor would they be sent to the mine to dig.
In Wu Fei’s preventative measures consideration: Sending a being with the “leader” attribute to the mine would definitely cause a riot in the mine. Better to—take it in as a dog!
Therefore, mountain monsters with brains would be treated favorably, specially trained, and not short on food. If sensible, they could even be released. ——This can be referenced from taming horses; once the leader of such animals is tamed, the entire herd will follow.
But just as the grassland cannot be fully enclosed, the various mountain tops in the Southern Border cannot all be fully occupied either. Therefore, if possible, Wu Fei hoped to support some intelligent “friendly tribes” and retain tribes “capable of dialogue.”
In terms of the strategy toward the Southern Border, Wu Fei still inherited his uncle Wu Hanluan’s “central idea”: be inclusive toward all tribes, but in specific details, those who stick close get meat to eat, while those who stay far away need to be given a beating.
Inside the camp, Wu Fei did not, like the soldiers outside the camp, calculate how many slaves he could bring back from this expedition and how much GDP he could create.
After all kinds of slaves were stuffed into the cages, Wu Fei: How many ethnic groups are there in the Southern Border?
