Volume 3, Chapter 117 – Borrowed Power

Governor Fang Xiaochun felt he was truly cursed with bad luck. Ever since he had taken over the post of state governor, he had not enjoyed more than a few days of peace.

Right now he was pacing back and forth in his residence, constantly making and answering calls to piece information together and issue orders. In his daughter Fang Wenya’s eyes, he really did look like an ant on a hot wok.

“Father.” She brought over a cup of tea. “Being this anxious doesn’t help. Have some water and moisten your throat first.”

Fang Xiaochun nodded, grabbed the cup, and took a gulp. At that moment, the phone beside him began to vibrate again.

“Hello?” He picked up at once. “How is it? Have you managed to get in touch with Lord Lu and the others?”

“No!” On the other end, explosions and gunfire boomed nonstop. The voice was strained with urgency. “We have no idea where those rebels found all these people, and with the demon tide attacking as well, the reinforcements just cannot get through!”

“Can’t get through or not, you have to get through.” Fang Xiaochun’s tone hardened. “Didn’t I already give you authority to mobilize the stockpiled armaments? What about the tactical weapons? Make sure you use them.”

After hanging up, he sat there in a daze, which, to Fang Wenya, made him look a little defeated.

“Father.” The girl could not help calling out again.

“Wenya.” Fang Xiaochun suddenly looked up at her, staring blankly as he asked, “Is your father completely useless?”

What… what was he suddenly saying that for?

Yet Fang Xiaochun only shook his head. “Shuohua has always stuck by me. I know how she feels. But I never dared respond before, because I felt my strength was too feeble, that I was not worthy of taking on that responsibility.”

“Looking at things now, that really is the case. In the end, I have shoulders that cannot even hold down the current situation. How could I have spare strength to lend someone else…”

Now Fang Wenya understood. Roughly speaking, because Qizhou had been hit by disaster after disaster, and every time the disaster struck it happened to be at a moment when Fang Xiaochun, a civil official, could only feel helpless, he had probably been worn down by the repeated blows. He had started to doubt whether what he had learned was worth anything at all.

Was it not so? Forget the role Tao Shuohua was playing in this crisis. Even those ordinary martial artists could protect themselves with the swords in their hands when danger came, without needing anyone else to spare strength to shield them.

But this was just bad timing.

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Fang Wenya felt her father was getting stuck in a dead end.

There was a saying that in prosperous times antiques were prized, and in chaotic times gold was prized. One could not claim antiques were worthless just because it was wartime. The comparison was unfair to begin with.

“I know what you mean.” After listening to her persuasion, Fang Xiaochun waved his hand. “I only spoke because the feeling came over me all of a sudden. All right, Wenya, you don’t have to worry too much about your father.”

“But I have my doubts as well.” His tone paused here. “Even if it is not completely useless, from today on, I am afraid a lot of case studies will have to be scrapped.”

“No matter what has to be scrapped, Father’s abilities will still find room to be used.” Fang Wenya insisted. “Even if the court no longer wants you, at worst I will go abroad with you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Fang Xiaochun’s face darkened at once. Then he changed the subject. “Didn’t I tell you to contact Old Master Bai? How are things in Maozhou?”

“They look better than here…” Fang Wenya pouted. “We are closer to the blood abyss, after all, so the demon beast tides came here first…”

If it were not so, why would she be reluctant to bring it up? It was not as if she did not understand how serious it was.

“The enemy is not just ordinary demon beasts.” Fang Xiaochun only shook his head after hearing her answer. “Between here and Maozhou it is a flat road. The last time the demon beast tide ignored Qiyun Circuit and went for Chilong first, that followed the natural lay of the land. This time they have gone against that, which makes me suspect there is a twist in play.”

“You mean the demon-humans are planning a feint?” Fang Wenya’s brows jumped. “That their main target is Maozhou? That cannot be right…”

She truly did not believe it. On the one hand, Maozhou’s total population was still smaller than Qizhou’s. On the other hand, the gap to the east of Maozhou, toward Zhen’nan Circuit, had long since had fortress walls built. Attacking there would certainly be much harder.

“That is not it.” Fang Xiaochun still shook his head, his brows now drawn tight. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed correct to him.

Maozhou City was solid. Precisely for that reason, taking Maozhou had to be done early.

One had to remember that Maozhou had been nothing but wilderness and forest before development. Before the land was cleared, it had seemed full of hardship and obstacles. Yet once it had been opened up and walls had been built at a few key gaps, Maozhou had in one stroke formed a ring-shaped line of defense, just right to be held within the Naluo Mountains to the south and the Longchuan region to the southwest.

Once a place like that was occupied, the enemy could use the terrain to block any reinforcements the court sent. Taking it back later would be impossible without relying on air power.

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“Old Master Bai’s phone cannot be reached.” Fang Xiaochun pointed toward the door as he spoke to his daughter. “Try again at the radio station. If it really does not work, take a plane and go to Maozhou.”

“Father!” Fang Wenya was startled. Was he sending her away?

Had things really gotten that bad?

“Maozhou is probably more dangerous than here. What are you thinking?” Fang Xiaochun snapped. “I am asking you to handle this personally. You are unwilling?”

Oh. Oh.

Only then did Fang Wenya catch on.

That was true. Ever since that argument with Fang Xiaochun last time, she had fallen into self-doubt.

If a woman truly could not hold office, what had all her years of study been for?

Now that Fang Xiaochun was truly assigning her a task, and one this important besides, why would she refuse? She should be happy.

“In that case, Father, I will go now.”

Fang Wenya dashed out in a whirlwind. Behind her, Fang Xiaochun stared in that direction and fell into silence.

Only half of what he had just said was true. In his own judgment, Qiyun Circuit was actually more dangerous than Zhen’nan Circuit.

The enemy’s main target was probably Maozhou, yes, but Maozhou had also gathered the greatest reinforcements in the south at the moment.

As in ancient wars, the shock troops charging at the front often had the highest survival rate. Fang Xiaochun naturally understood this logic.

“Three… no, there should be four Divine Fetus Earth-Masters holding the line there.”

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Fang Xiaochun lifted his head and looked southwest, letting out a faint sigh.

If she can make it back in time…

Then that side will certainly be the safer one.

…

Maozhou, Zhen’nan Circuit.

In the newly completed Listening-to-Rain Tower, Bai Shengju had just called everyone together for a discussion. As the meeting broke up and he stepped out, he ran into the arriving Xiang Xian.

“Peak Lord Xiang.”

“Brother Bai.”

The two exchanged simple courtesies, then walked together to discuss the situation.

“How bad is it?” Xiang Xian asked.

“Not right.” Bai Shengju shook his head. “From the first demon-human attacks until now, more than two hundred outlying villages have lost contact.”

These were not original settlements, but new villages built by refugees who had moved into Maozhou.

So two hundred was already an enormous number, one could almost say it had affected more than half.

“What about the disciples on watch?”

“More than sixty are missing as well. It is basically certain that there is another force moving about outside. They do not number many, but their skills are not weak.”

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That was strange.

Xiang Xian and Bai Shengju both fell silent.

After the Shenming Sword Dao held its Dao-attainment grand ceremony, Bai Xiang’s name should already have spread properly to the outside world.

Even if they disregarded her as Dao Lord and treated her duel with Qin Wuyang as exaggerated hearsay, there was still this “Yuming Dao Lord” standing here.

Add in Kong An, Kong Tianbao, and Han Yinshuang, who had taken it upon herself to move among several circuit cities to set up medical outposts, and the Divine Fetus combat strength here already far outstripped that of an ordinary state. There was no reason for anyone to treat them as soft fruit.

Yet the enemy had still come swarming in, and even after the first sneak attack failed, they had shown no sign of pulling back.

What did that mean?

That they were confident they could swallow this place whole?

Looks like they could not afford to wait any longer.

After a brief exchange with Bai Shengju, Xiang Xian returned alone to her side room, took out a satellite phone, and turned on the projector.

This time, what appeared in the projection was a cluster of black flames. A blurry figure of a horned demon suddenly emerged within the fire and rumbled a question. “Dao Lord Xiang? Why are you contacting me now…”

“It is sudden.” Xiang Xian let out a sigh as well.

“In any case… the Patriarch once saved your honored father’s life.”

“Now an emergency has come. I must ask Fellow Daoist to appear and lend a hand.”