Chapter 132 - 88: Fairy: Let’s Live Together

Chapter 132: Chapter 88: Fairy: Let’s Live Together

She was truly curious.

Before arriving in Qingyang County today, she had already considered every possible bad outcome.

But as it turned out, Zhao Ci hadn’t fallen for the trap at all!

How did he stay so clear-headed while being deceived by a group of old scoundrels?

It was... nothing short of miraculous.

Zhao Ci spun a tale, "You might not believe this, but I have a Mind Reading Skill!"

Kan Luotang naturally didn’t believe him. Although her cultivation wasn’t high, she was from the Kan Family, after all. Under Kan Tianji’s influence, she was still quite knowledgeable.

If a Mind Reading Skill truly existed, it would certainly involve the Primordial Spirit Divine Treasure.

Leaving aside whether such a thing even existed in the world, even if it did, it was definitely not something a person below the Physical Body Realm could comprehend.

But since Zhao Ci didn’t want to talk about it, she didn’t press the issue.

She thought for a moment.

Standing up, she bowed solemnly to Zhao Ci. "Your Highness, on behalf of the people of the Northern Three Prefectures, I thank you!"

Zhao Ci waved his hand with a smile. "No need to thank me. Like I said, I just wanted to fulfill my promise. Besides, those old swindlers tried to play me for a fool. You think I’d let them bully me?"

Kan Luotang sighed softly. "The corruption in the Northern Three Prefectures is truly deep-seated. When I was still three li from Qingyang County, I sensed a group of people lying in ambush for me. For some reason, they later withdrew.

Looking back now, it must have been because things on your end were already settled, so there was no longer any point in stopping me.

Otherwise, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have even seen the walls of Qingyang County today."

Zhao Ci sounded a bit helpless as well. "It can’t be helped. The conditions in the Northern Three Prefectures are just too harsh. Expecting them to be upright and incorruptible was never realistic in the first place.

But there’s one thing I find strange. You should be well aware that it’s difficult to change the situation in the Northern Three Prefectures by yourself. No matter how much you practice medicine, you can only relieve the people’s suffering temporarily.

So why are you so determined to waste the best years of your life in this hopeless place?"

Kan Luotang couldn’t help but say, "The people here suffer so much..."

Zhao Ci shook his head. "There are many people in this world who suffer. Some can be saved, but some are very difficult to save."

Kan Luotang was silent for a long time before letting out a soft, mournful sigh. "Your Highness! Do you know who it was that laid down the Grand Array of the Northern Three Prefectures?"

Hm?

Zhao Ci paused, stunned. "Could it be related to your Kan Family?"

Kan Luotang nodded. "In the early years of the Great Yu’s founding, the hundreds of li surrounding Lingge were in constant turmoil because of this ruin from the previous dynasty.

My Kan Family ancestor, risking universal condemnation, proposed using people as the foundation of an array to establish the Northern Three Prefectures.

After several years of meticulously studying arrays, he finally completed it.

However, the original agreement was that people from all over would take turns living in the Northern Three Prefectures. Unexpectedly, for the sake of stability, the Grand Ancestor Emperor ended up permanently locking that group of people inside.

My ancestor felt deep guilt toward the people of the Northern Three Prefectures and eventually died from the resulting sorrow and illness.

He passed away so suddenly that the knowledge of the Northern Three Prefectures’ Grand Array was lost with him.

Although the Imperial Family, to prevent the Kan Family from being resented by the people of the Northern Three Prefectures, erased the ancestor’s name from the records over several generations.

But this matter was preserved in the Kan Family’s precepts. That is why for generations, the Kan Family has accepted a stipend from the Court, but we only keep what is needed to live. The rest is secretly donated to the Northern Three Prefectures.

My coming to the Northern Three Prefectures to practice medicine is partly to atone for my ancestor’s sin, and partly to survey the array here to see if I can find a better solution."

’So that was the secret history of the Northern Three Prefectures.’

Zhao Ci felt a surge of emotion and said with a slight smile, "Actually, the Kan Family aren’t the sinners here; they’re the greatest of heroes. The ones who owe a debt to the people of the Northern Three Prefectures are the Imperial Family and the entire Great Yu. Of course, the debtor is the Imperial Family. It has nothing to do with me, Zhao Ci."

Kan Luotang: "..."

This act of shirking responsibility left her stunned for a good while.

Then she couldn’t help but burst out laughing. His words seemed like he was dodging blame, but he was actually trying to convince her that she didn’t need to take responsibility for what the Kan Family’s ancestor had done.

She smiled and shook her head. "Actually, the Imperial Family’s choice wasn’t wrong either. Sacrificing a small group of people to let the majority live in peace was indeed the best option. While my ancestor’s idea was the fairest, it was ultimately somewhat unrealistic."

"Exactly!"

Zhao Ci said with a grin, "So this sin is not yours to atone for."

Kan Luotang pursed her lips, about to say something more.

But suddenly, a fierce wind howled outside the window, and the sound of muffled thunder rolled through the night sky.

Zhao Ci jumped in surprise. ’The night had been so peaceful just a moment ago. How did a storm suddenly erupt?’

He pushed open the window and saw an utterly terrifying sight.

The once-clear night sky was now completely devoid of stars and moon, the entire expanse unnervingly dark.

A massive vortex had appeared in the sky, like a giant eye. At its location, space and time themselves seemed to be distorted.

And at the center of the giant eye, another world seemed to be hidden.

The giant eye contracted sharply, and countless figures were sucked inside.

From the village next door, it looked like at least half the people were pulled in.

But the giant eye seemed to have indigestion. After sucking the villagers in, it spat out several plumes of black mist that hovered around it.

After contracting, it slowly expanded, then abruptly shut.

Just like the blink of an eye.

The moment this cycle of blinking ended, it vanished into thin air, only to reappear a li away.

Then, the next blink began.

"This..."

Zhao Ci was stunned. In all his time since transmigrating, this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a bizarre spectacle.

Kan Luotang explained, "That is the entrance to the ruins of the previous dynasty. It used to swallow everyone within its range. After our ancestor set up the array, it was able to peel off a few fragments of space from the ruins, intercepting those below the Physical Body Realm to prevent them from accidentally entering and meeting a disastrous fate.