They descended the mountain.
Below the mountain lay a vast expanse of wasteland, with sparse weeds growing on the ground and a few stunted trees swaying in the distance.
The area was eerily quiet. There were no bird songs in the sky, nor the roars of beasts on the ground.
Upon arriving, everyone was initially confused, but soon some began to erupt in ecstatic joy.
"Hahaha, who said Gui Xu was dangerous?"
"Face slap, isn't it? Wang Shuang, you were so insistent about Gui Xu being dangerous, I think you've just been brainwashed."
"I reckon the dangers we encountered on the road were all fabricated, designed to make us turn back and hide the truth about Gui Xu."
"Fortunately, we persisted and didn't retreat, otherwise, we would have truly missed out on the truth."
Song Siwen, with a look of delight, sighed dramatically into his live stream.
His face etched with worry, he lamented:
"My dear viewers, I am truly heartbroken right now. They've been spreading such false propaganda behind our backs; it's utterly audacious. Look at this place, so safe, with the fragrance of grass filling the air."
The viewers watching the live stream, some of whom already doubted the danger of Gui Xu, became even more convinced of their own theories.
They began to see themselves as discoverers, holders of truth, and reformers who dared to break conventions.
"Strongly suggest abolishing the Gui Xu defensive line and stop allocating funds to the Supreme Academy. Let's spend money where it's truly needed!"
"I agree with the suggestion above. We are the watchdogs; we cannot let the cabinet make one mistake after another."
"We implore the cabinet to punish the Supreme Academy and the City Lord of Nanjiao City for their deceitful practices and fooling the populace."
"We are the masters here, and we cannot allow certain individuals to deceive everyone!"
Some voices raised objections, stating that they had only just descended the mountain and had not yet reached Gui Xu, so what they saw here could not be considered evidence. However, these dissenting voices were quickly drowned out by the clamor of the majority.
The faction that insisted on Gui Xu being dangerous began to fracture.
Some still maintained that Gui Xu was perilous, while others, now embarrassed and angry, transformed into staunch proponents of Gui Xu's safety.
The online uproar surrounding this farce was considerable, but the high-ranking officials above largely shook their heads, not paying it much mind.
At this moment.
The Grand Secretary, who had just returned to the Prime Minister's residence from Xijiang City, leisurely sipped his tea.
Beside him stood a young man, one of his scribes, primarily responsible for drafting documents and managing paperwork.
He asked curiously, "Grand Secretary, why didn't you stop them?"
In his view, the phenomenon unfolding online was terrifying and absurd.
They refused to believe anything, trusting only what they saw with their own eyes, and even then, they might suspect trickery and deception.
The Grand Secretary took a sip of tea and smiled, "Human hearts are complex, yet human minds are often simple. The more you try to educate them, the less they will believe you. Instead of that, it's better to let them see the reality for themselves."
People dislike being lectured. To bring about change in someone, you shouldn't criticize them, but rather devise a way for them to see the truth on their own.
The scribe suddenly understood, "Grand Secretary, you are truly wise."
The Grand Secretary chuckled, "For this matter, we only need to handle the follow-up. Go draft an announcement to console the families of those who died adventuring in Gui Xu, expressing our deep sorrow and urging everyone to act rationally in the future. Once this is over, you can release it. Additionally, draft another document immediately, advising everyone to act rationally. Send this one out now to prevent further gossip later."
The scribe nodded repeatedly, committing it to memory.
Nanjiao City.
City Lord's Mansion.
Liu Shan watched the live stream, his brow furrowed, and then he let out a dark chuckle.
His subordinates, seeing his demeanor, exchanged knowing glances.
Liu Shan instructed, "Go prepare some delicacies to comfort their wounded spirits when they return. And also, prepare some coffins."
In Liu Shan's opinion, the fierce online debate was of little consequence.
They thought descending the mountain meant they had reached Gui Xu, but they were mistaken. The Sword God had forcefully pushed Gui Xu tens of miles further away.
He smiled, envisioning the fate of these people.
He wondered how many would survive this time.
"Hmph, we who guard the frontier, how dare these idlers question us? It seems after this incident, I need to make some suggestions to the cabinet. This online chaos needs to be tidied up."
Meanwhile.
Outside the entrance of Gui Xu.
Song Siwen, live-streaming, moved about.
He panned his camera here and there, shouting, "Look, everyone, what danger could there possibly be here? Forget fierce beasts; even the wild grass is sparse."
Wang Shuang stood in the distance, watching this scene with a sinking heart.
He approached Lu Li and asked, "General, I have a question, can you enlighten me?"
Lu Li was also in a bad mood. This wasn't even Gui Xu yet, and he had tried to speak up multiple times, only to be interrupted. He was so annoyed that he had stopped trying.
But he knew these people wouldn't be able to cause trouble for much longer. He couldn't be bothered to say much about the dead.
Since the City Lord had said they didn't have to all die, and could even lose sixty percent, he might as well go a bit further and let all these trash die.
The City Lord wouldn't blame me, would he? he thought to himself.
Seeing Wang Shuang, he asked, "What do you want to ask?"
"General, is this Gui Xu?"
"Haha, your observation skills are quite good, young man."
"So, this place is not dangerous, but Gui Xu is dangerous, is that right?"
"Mm."
Wang Shuang received his answer. Looking at Song Siwen and the others, who were beaming with smugness, his gaze shifted, as if he were looking at a group of fools.
Song Siwen had been keeping an eye on Wang Shuang. Seeing his expression, he immediately became displeased.
"Wang Shuang, do you have anything else to say?"
"This single location proves nothing."
"Haha, look how vast this wasteland is. Are we supposed to walk dozens more miles? What if it gets dark? What if we get hungry?"
"You can go back. I will continue to walk. I know this isn't Gui Xu! Are you perhaps afraid?"
Faced with Wang Shuang's retort, he initially wanted to ignore it. He no longer cared whether there were dangers ahead; he had decided to turn back here.
As for whether this was Gui Xu or not, why bother with such details? He would just insist it was Gui Xu, and that would be that.
Sometimes, a single incorrect statement would be defended by countless others.
However, the mentality of the viewers in the live stream was different; they enjoyed a good spectacle.
"Streamer, agree to it, and shut him up properly."
"Yes, agree to it, let's see how far this fakery goes!"
"Streamer, don't back down, we all support you."
Faced with this situation, his face turned green.
In fact, if it weren't for the instigation of these viewers, he would have thrown in the towel at the entrance of the Supreme Academy.
Seeing his hesitation, numerous gifts began to flood the live stream. Expensive gifts scrolled across the screen, generating nearly a million in revenue in a short period.
Song Siwen was stunned, his heart pounding.
Gritting his teeth, he agreed.
"Okay, I agree!"