In ancient times, disaster relief was often most difficult at the outset, and once the middle and later stages were passed, it generally meant the overall situation was largely settled.
This, of course, applied only to man-made disasters; natural calamities were another matter.
The disaster relief currently underway in Qianyu City had entered its middle to late stages.
Truthfully, while this disaster had been extensive and had affected over ten innocent civilians, it wasn't particularly difficult to handle.
Ensuring sufficient order and an abundance of supplies like food was enough to stabilize the situation.
The only concerns were potential civil unrest and epidemics.
However, the Great Yu Dynasty had enjoyed nearly eight hundred years of peace, prosperity, and favorable weather, making civil unrest almost impossible.
As for epidemics, the bodies of the victims in the city had been mostly cleared, coupled with preventative measures and daily brewed medicinal soup.
Even if an epidemic were to break out, Qian Nishang was confident that Mingxin Pavilion could suppress it within a very short time, preventing its spread among the populace.
Eliminating a suppressed epidemic would merely be a matter of time.
Under these circumstances, the opportunities for the officials in the county yamen were indeed dwindling.
If they were to begin now and distribute all their prepared supplies for relief, they could still gain some reputation, perhaps even some merit.
However, not only Qian Nishang, but even Ji Yuan, who was not very familiar with the prefectural city, did not believe these individuals would act. Even at the last moment, they would rather return empty-handed than part with any of their supplies.
It might sound cruel, but in the eyes of these high-ranking figures, the lives of ordinary people were worth less than a few taels of silver.
Otherwise, when Qianyu City suffered a blood sacrifice and tens of thousands of its citizens perished, there wouldn't have been such a desperate wait for disaster relief from the prefectural city, only for them to rush in to seize benefits after Mingxin Pavilion took action.
"I hope they can truly remain quiet. The people of Qianyu City have already suffered enough."
Ji Yuan sighed, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
If anyone truly became unruly, he would have no reservations. Compared to the lives of tens of thousands of citizens, a group of officials from the prefectural city was insignificant.
Killing them would be just that—killing them.
He refused to believe that, with their current strength and without the presence of a third-stage expert, the people in the county yamen could truly resist.
Of course, if a confrontation were to occur, it wouldn't be as easy as he made it sound. However, finding a few of the most troublesome individuals among the crowd to deal with wouldn't be difficult.
After all, they had managed to eliminate Shen Lang, who had schemed for three hundred years, along with his many pawns. How much stronger could the officials from the prefectural city, representing various factions, be?
Furthermore, if they possessed profound cultivation and formidable skills, they wouldn't be stationed in this place.
Those assigned to oversee the prefectural city by their respective factions were generally individuals with no hope of further advancement in their cultivation or those nearing the end of their lifespans.
"By the way, master, do you happen to know any artifact path masters?"
The mention of Shen Lang reminded him of the magical treasures he had left behind.
The seven-story demonic tower was of exceptional quality. If its demonic energy and vengeful spirits could be cleansed, it wouldn't have to gather dust in his Mountain River Pouch.
However, achieving this would require at least an artifact path master. Such individuals were even rarer than alchemy masters.
"Within Mingxin Pavilion, there is an artifact path master belonging to my Qian family, who is usually stationed in the prefectural city."
Qian Nishang turned to look at him, without any hint of surprise. "I initially thought you intended to sell that demonic treasure, or exchange it for other artifacts. I didn't expect you to want to use it yourself."
The magical treasures Ji Yuan possessed were not difficult to inquire about, and she was naturally aware of them.
However, she hadn't expected him to consider keeping it for himself rather than selling or trading it.
After all, forcibly refining a demonic treasure into an item usable by immortal cultivators would cost as much as half an artifact.
This did not include the artifact path master's fee, nor the spiritual materials needed to repair and replace what was lost after the demonic energy was cleansed. These were not small sums.
"It is, after all, a memento from an old friend. If it's not absolutely necessary, I'd prefer to keep it close."
He gave a wry smile, his gaze tinged with a hint of melancholy.
Setting aside the many wrongdoings and sins Shen Lang had committed, during their years together, he had indeed received a great deal of help from him, and their bond was exceptionally deep.
If possible, he naturally wished to keep this artifact, not only as a keepsake but also as an additional trump card.
"After this matter is concluded, you will return to the prefectural city with me, and then we will ask this master to help refine it."
Qian Nishang was straightforward and readily agreed.
She even offered to cover the fees for the artifact path master and the expenses required for cleansing the demonic energy, with Ji Yuan only needing to provide the spiritual materials for replenishment.
After all, refining an artifact's original attributes was not without cost; the separated portions needed to be replenished with new materials.
This was why only an artifact path master could successfully refine an artifact; ordinary artifact craftsmen were incapable of such a feat.
"Speaking of which, how long do you intend to keep drinking spiritual tea here?"
Qian Nishang raised an eyebrow and asked with a half-smile.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan's action of pouring tea paused. He then calmly set down the teapot, finished the spiritual tea in his cup, and rose to bid farewell.
After leaving the room, he contentedly patted his stomach, now full of spiritual energy, and then unhurriedly walked downstairs, through the hall, and back to his own room.
At this moment, Zhao Yuebai and Jiang He were still diligently refining pills. Their pill-refining skills had improved remarkably over this period. The only deficiencies were in their familiarity with medicinal herbs and their understanding of each other's pharmacology.
However, with their talent, accumulation in these areas was not a concern, requiring only more time.
Ji Yuan estimated that in perhaps one to two years, they should be able to approach the threshold of becoming alchemists. Whether they could successfully cross it would depend on their dedicated efforts.
After observing for a while, he did not disturb their pill refinement and instead entered another room, sitting cross-legged on the bed.
With the city's disaster relief now steadily progressing into its middle and late stages, and given the ample supply of pills he had previously refined, there was no longer the same urgency as in the beginning.
Everything that needed to be done had been done, and a period of leisure had arrived.
After a moment of contemplation, Ji Yuan closed his eyes. Immediately, a phantom image of a Taoist scripture appeared in his mind.
On the cover of this book, the four characters "Xuantian Daojing" appeared simple and unadorned, yet they seemed to radiate a brilliant, dazzling light.
This Taoist scripture, passed down from the Xuantian Temple, was rumored to have been created by the patriarch who left the Nine Profound Sect to establish his own lineage. He had spent his entire life perfecting it.
The entire Xuantian Daojing, in addition to the general cultivation method, was divided into two parts: 'Dao Fa' and 'Jian Jue,' both supreme methods that directly led to realms beyond the Golden Core.
These two parts were of equal importance. The Dao Fa volume emphasized the principle of mastering one to master all, with the path of "all worldly laws are within my grasp." Upon reaching a profound level of cultivation, one could wield any law of heaven and earth at will.
The first patriarch of the Xuantian Temple, though highly skilled in swordsmanship, achieved even greater accomplishments in Taoism. When engaging in combat, he would unleash an endless stream of techniques, each seamlessly connected, leaving no opening for his opponents.
It was precisely through this mastery of "all laws returning to the origin" that the first patriarch carved out a formidable reputation throughout the Shuiyun Continent, nearly ascending to the position of a continent's Taoist Lord.
The other volume, Jian Jue, was perfected by a brilliant third-generation patriarch. Armed with his natal flying sword, he challenged powerful cultivators in the Golden Core realm, even coming close to killing them.
If the sword cultivator lineage within the Great Yu Dynasty were to be ranked, this Jian Jue, if not the first, would at least be among the top five.
One volume of Dao Fa and one volume of Jian Jue constituted the fundamental inheritance of the Xuantian Temple. Cultivating either one would allow one to far surpass cultivators of the same realm, and upon forming a Golden Core, one could be comparable to a great master.
Had it not been for the Xuantian Temple's patriarchs being ambushed and dying one after another more than three hundred years ago, the temple would likely have become the state religion of the Great Yu Dynasty by now.
At this moment, after a brief pause, Ji Yuan focused his mind on the Jian Jue within.
This Jian Jue meticulously detailed the method for forging the Xuantian Sword and the subsequent requirements for its nurturing, leaving no detail unaddressed.
Unlike ordinary Jian Jue, the cultivation method of the Xuantian Jian Jue did not solely rely on nurturing a natal flying sword. Instead, it placed greater emphasis on the cultivator's sword intent.
It even contained advice left by the third-generation patriarch: to cultivate this Jian Jue to a profound level, one must concurrently cultivate the Dao Fa volume. Only by truly comprehending the Xuantian Sword Intent could the Jian Jue be considered fully mastered.
"This patriarch is quite peculiar. While others focus on nurturing their natal flying sword and honing its sharpness, he placed more importance on the comprehension of sword intent."
After prolonged contemplation, Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Most sword cultivators in the world focused on nurturing and sharpening their flying swords, pursuing the might of "one sword to break all laws." Even if they gained some comprehension of sword intent, it was merely to enhance the killing power of their flying swords.
However, in the eyes of this third-generation patriarch, sword intent was the fundamental core of a sword cultivator. While the natal flying sword was equally important, it was not as crucial.
"If the flying sword is destroyed, it can be reforged. Only the sword intent is eternal and indestructible, existing with the self!"
Ji Yuan murmured, a surge of realization flooding his mind.
For a sword cultivator, was the flying sword important?
Of course, it was immensely important. Yet, compared to one's own comprehended sword intent, no matter how deeply one bonded with the flying sword, it remained an external object.
This viewpoint bore a striking resemblance to that of pure martial artists.
No matter how powerful the ability, even if tightly linked to one's own path, it could not change this fact.
Conversely, the sword intent comprehended by a sword cultivator, regardless of how many flying swords were replaced or how much of one's cultivation was dissipated, would still exist within the soul.
Therefore, the fundamental core of the Xuantian Jian Jue lay in one's abundant sword intent, not seeking to "break all laws with one strike," but rather to ensure that after all things crumbled, a sword intent still pierced the heavens.
The pursuit of enlightenment and longevity was similar. Cultivators endured hundreds or thousands of years of arduous practice, all for the sake of achieving immortality, to ensure that even if the heavens and earth collapsed, their existence would endure eternally with the Great Dao.
Ji Yuan's perspective was quite similar to this third-generation patriarch's. In his opinion, no matter how precious the magical artifacts or spiritual objects, they were not as reliable as one's own cultivation.
However, he had not anticipated that cultivating the Jian Jue would require concurrent cultivation of the Dao Fa volume.