Chapter 1245 - He Has Come
No one had expected to see the horde of beasts that had once caused everyone at Deer City to tremble in fear to appear again after such a long time. Furthermore, this time, the beasts were far more terrifying and came in larger numbers than the previous few times. When the horde of beasts smashed against the outermost layer of the defensive formation, everyone in the city felt the land shake so intensely that it was as though there had been an earthquake, and this took a long time to subside.
However, the city's inhabitants weren't as terrified as before.
Deer City today was no longer an insignificant small city within the Snow Empire; it had become an important city of great repute within the Heaven Wasteland Domain. Regular troops and experts were stationed with the city and countless experts from the foreign domains were also based there, so now it was many times stronger than it was before. Everyone optimistically assumed that the horde of beasts would no longer cause any damage and would probably not even be able to overcome the city's defensive formation.
After all, that formation had been personally modified and laid out by Ye Qingyu.
However, Hon Kong, the City Lord of Deer City, and the higher-ups thought that there was something strange about the situation.
After all, Ye Qingyu had entered the depths of the mountain range and killed almost all the desolate beasts to prevent a recurrence of the beast horde. He had even destroyed and sealed the cracks in space, including the nests of these desolate beasts; according to Ye Qingyu, Deer City would not face the threat of attacks from these horde of desolate beasts ever again, so how could these beasts reappear in a span of a few years?
When they looked down at the horde from their vantage point along the city wall, the endless stream of desolate beasts seemed like a destructive torrent and was extremely terrifying. The desolate beasts were charging toward them in larger numbers than ever before.
"Everyone, there's something strange about this," the City Lord Qin Ying said gravely.
Qin Ying was the City Lord when Ye Qingyu was a young man and he was still the most authoritative figure throughout Deer City. This was not just because the Qin clan was a longstanding fixture at Deer City, but also because Ye Qingyu had no intention of punishing Qin Ying for his previous deeds. Moreover, Qin Ying had always been a good City Lord, especially during the Heaven Wasteland Empire era. He had also reflected on his own actions and governed with benevolence. The Qin clan had always been highly regarded within the military.
In some ways, Qin Ying was a veteran of the Empire.
His cultivation had also increased over the past few years and was now a Saint. However, due to his age, he would not be able to increase his cultivation any longer. There were rumors swirling that he would step down after this year and hand over the reins to his eldest son, Qin Wushuang.
Qin Wushuang was standing next to his father at that moment.
He had once vied with Ye Qingyu for dominance at White Deer Academy and had once been extremely confident and overbearing, but how could he be a match for Ye Qingyu who was so incredibly powerful? His youthful brashness had faded and Qin Wushuang was now a more mature man, but he had never given up on trying to catch up to Ye Qingyu's achievements. He had once taken on a different identity to fight with the north-eastern troops and had been on the most intense battlefields, which resulted in his handsome face being marred by a huge scar that almost split his skull open. This was proof of his contributions in battle and now, he was one of the most outstanding men in the Heaven Wasteland Empire's army.
Qin Wushuang had never responded to the pervading rumors.
He knew that he wouldn't want to take on his father's duties and be a rich City Lord.
Only those who had experienced the world outside would be able to understand how large and exciting this world was. He knew that he'd never be able to match Ye Qingyu's amazing achievements in this lifetime, but he still wanted to go out and experience the world for himself. His martial heart had become extremely tough after the past few years of training, so he would never stop moving forward.
He had only returned to Deer City to visit relatives this time and planned on leaving the Heaven Wasteland Domain to train in the distant lands after visiting his parents, but he didn't expect to see the attacking horde of beasts this time, so he went up to have a look with his father.
Qin Wushuang was also shocked by what he saw.
It wasn't just Qin Ying and Qin Wushuang who were stunned, but in contrast to the optimism felt by the citizens in the city, all the higher-ups of Deer City had a bad feeling about the charging horde of beasts.
"I can't see an end to this horde of beasts; they are like a black sea. This is the largest horde of beasts that we've ever faced," Hon Kong said gravely and frowned as though he was mulling over something. "I'm afraid that this horde of beasts is very dangerous. I guess even Deputy Spokesperson Ye Qingyu himself would not be able to get rid of it. It is hard to annihilate such a chronic problem."
"I think there must have been a change in the deepest part of the mountains that we weren't aware of," Song Qingluo said.
She had followed Hon Kong up to the top of the city. She looked toward the distance, past the never-ending horde of beasts and toward the deep and forested mountains. The previous time this had occurred, Ye Qingyu had entered the deepest part of the mountains to turn the situation around, so she deduced that something else must have changed this time.
"City Lord Qin Ying, what are your plans?" Hon Kong asked.
Qin Ying had already calmed down and said, "I've already sent word to the imperial city and we should receive a reply soon. There's something odd about the incoming horde of beasts, so I intend to guard the city without attacking the beasts to observe the situation, and wait to see if anything changes. There's no need to send out troops to fight at the moment, so my top priority is to protect the citizens and tourists of the city."
Hon Kong nodded slightly.
Qin Ying had never been on the battlefield, but he was from a clan with strong military roots; during his time in power, the city had experienced many attacks from the beasts hordes, during which he would issue instructions by drawing on his previous experiences. This was the safest way to handle it; at least, there wouldn't be any rash mistakes.
As for the citizens that needed protection, Qin Ying hadn't clearly defined it but everyone knew that the most important people that they had to protect were the few who lived at the Ye mansion, especially Qin Lan and the rest who were his relatives. They couldn't afford to make any mistakes since they would not be able to withstand the wrath of Deputy Spokesperson Ye Qingyu if he found out.
"What should we do if the horde manages to overcome our defenses?" Song Qingluo suddenly asked.
Everyone felt a shiver of fear traveling down their spines.
"Impossible," a military commander said without a second's hesitation. "The defensive formation of the city is the strongest it has ever been in several thousand years and Deputy Spokesperson Ye Qingyu had also left other defensive measures behind. There are more highly-skilled experts in the city than we can count and if it wasn't for the fact that we're opting for a conservative approach, we could even make the first move, attacking the horde of beasts, and kill these creatures that only know how to engage in mindless slaughter."
This was how confident the military felt.
The other three commanders also looked like a picture of confidence.
Deer City today was no longer the small city it had been back in those days.
Moreover, they had already sent word to the imperial city, so if all went well, reinforcements would be able to come tomorrow. The Heaven Wasteland Empire was now so powerful that it was just a matter of time before they would be able to crush these desolate beasts of strange origins.
Besides these commanders, several other higher-ups and noblemen were mostly not that worried in spite of their dismay. They firmly believed that Deer City was strong enough to defeat the beast horde; it was only a matter of time.
Song Qingluo was about to say something when Hon Kong who was beside her shook his head and gestured for her to remain quiet.
She could only remain silent.
Qin Wushuang noticed their exchange and felt a trace of doubt rise in his heart.
An endless stream of desolate beasts were still frantically crashing against the defensive shield of Deer City fearlessly. Desolate beasts were also constantly being killed by the formation. The essence, blood, and yuan qi of these dead desolate beasts were being absorbed by the formation and turned into an energy that could continue to keep the formation running. This defensive formation seemed like it would never be exhausted; this was when the strong point of this formation laid out by Ye Qingyu was revealed.
The officials who stood along the city walls gradually started to relax.
Qin Ying issued a series of orderly commands.
"City Lord Qin Ying, I would still have to attend to several matters at the Academy," Hon Kong said as he clasped his hands and took his leave. "If you require any assistance, the teachers at the Academy will be more than happy to help."
"Many thanks," Qin Ying said. He was very respectful toward the Head of White Deer Academy.
Hon Kong left the city wall, grim-faced, as though he was thinking about something.
Footsteps sounded behind him; Song Qingluo caught up to Hon Kong in two or three steps and said, "Sir, the origins of the beast horde attacking this time seem strange, and I'm afraid that there might be other changes. We can't afford to let our guard down. Why did you stop me earlier? I..."
Hon Kong turned around and looked at her.
Song Qingluo was an outstanding alumnus of White Deer Academy and over the years, she had broadened her horizons by traveling throughout the various domains, becoming extremely intelligent. She was more perceptive and far-sighted than Qin Ying and the other officials, and was a clever and unusual woman, but...
He shook his head and said with a smile, "It wouldn't have done any good even if you spoke since they wouldn't believe your judgment. Moreover, if a disaster is truly about to befall the city, even if everyone in the city battled to their deaths, they might not be able to turn the situation around... Hopefully, the other defensive measures that Deputy Spokesperson Ye Qingyu put in place would be able to buy us some time... Perhaps reinforcements might come tomorrow," he said as he turned to leave. He took a few steps before he turned back and said, "Oh. Before I forget, Chairwoman Song Qingluo, I think you should make the necessary preparations after you return to the Chamber of Commerce."
Song Qingluo's expression changed and she said, "Do you mean..."
Hon Kong turned away and said, "I hope I'm not thinking too much into this."
Song Qingluo's face turned grim.
She had a feeling that the head of the Academy knew more than he let on.
...
Hon Kong returned to White Deer Academy.
He didn't return to his office but instead, he went to the confession courtyard.
Lan Tian was a frequent resident of the confession courtyard and had spent the past month locked up within the confession courtyard after wreaking havoc in the city. He was extremely bored during this period and idled around, spending his days eating and drinking. He couldn't wait for his punishment to end and counted the days until he could go out to play again.
Thus, Lan Tian was extremely excited when the doors to the confession courtyard opened.
"Hmm? Academy Director Hon Kong? Hehe, I can't believe you've come to see me personally. Are you putting an end to my punishment in advance? Hahaha, many thanks. I've been bored out of my wits these past few days, I want to head out to have a good meal... Hehe, don't worry. I promise I won't pretend to be a teacher and bring the students out hunting ever again. Hehe..."
He readily acknowledged his mistakes without any hesitation.
Hon Kong was extremely grim-faced as he said, "You've got to get out of here."
"Ah? Sure, am I supposed to head out to play? Haha, that's great. I love playing..." Lan Tian said with a laugh. He was itching to head out and relax.
"I think he has come looking for you," Hon Kong said.
Lan Tian immediately stiffened and his pupils constricted.