The next day, the sun rose from the east, its brilliant golden light illuminating the land of the Strange Night Domain.
In the largest square of Budao City, the crowd was dense, countless citizens gazing upwards with eyes full of sorrow and hope.
Ten days had passed since the events in Xishan, and it had rained in the northwest for almost ten days straight.
This was the first time they had seen the sun in days.
The dark clouds and gloom were dispersed, and the crowd stood solemnly, all their gazes fixed on the center of the square. There was a wide road there, wide enough for twenty people to stand abreast, paved with bluestone slabs.
On this road, dozens of esper-users from different factions were walking, their faces expressionless. They walked for several hundred meters, finally arriving above the square, where a large platform built of concrete stood. It could accommodate hundreds of people and was equipped with special seating.
All the esper-users attending this grand gathering were seated there.
Without much ceremony, as soon as the intended attendees had all arrived, the assembly began.
"Esteemed guests!" a man with a square face, tall stature, and dressed in purple cleared his throat and then spoke into a circular artifact in his hand. "I am Wu Ye, the City Lord of Budao City."
"Today, it is the day for Budao City to publicly announce the Xishan battle and hold an experience exchange conference. I will not waste time and will get straight to the point!"
The man looked down solemnly. His voice, amplified by the blue-glowing circular artifact, was loud but not deafening, and everyone could hear clearly.
As he spoke, the esper-users seated on both sides of the high platform stood up, even Yin Zhongxiu, whose right shoulder was bandaged. This showed respect for the City Lord.
"Today marks the tenth day since the Xishan chaos ended. For these ten days, due to the unclear casualty figures, I, like all of you, have been suffering in a state of great distress."
The man looked at the people below. Among them were women holding infants, soldiers covered in bandages, all ordinary citizens who had come for one purpose.
The Xishan battle had resulted in many deaths, but also many disappearances.
In the past few days, they had been searching for the missing soldiers and civilians. Only a few were found; the rest had likely turned into bones, devoured by wild beasts and monstrous spirits.
However, it was precisely because of this that the families of the missing soldiers held onto a sliver of hope, hoping their loved ones were merely lost and would return safely.
But this was ultimately a fairy tale. Just yesterday afternoon, the Five Bureaus had released the complete statistical data.
Wu Ye took a deep breath and then said gravely:
"Next, I will announce the specific details of the Xishan contamination source case."
"The first point is the casualty figures, which everyone is most concerned about."
"A total of forty-seven thousand four hundred and eighty-one people participated in the eradication of this contamination source."
"Budao City's Near Banner Army accounted for thirty thousand."
"Esper-users from various factions, including ninety-four esper-users from the first division of the Demon Slaying Bureau, totaled three hundred and seventy-two."
"Guard teams formed spontaneously by villages and tribes accounted for ten thousand seven hundred and forty-six."
The man paused here, glancing at the scroll filled with numbers and names in his hand, then at the expectant eyes of the crowd below. He felt reluctant to continue reading.
"I'll do it,"
Yin Zhongxiu sighed, patted Wu Ye's shoulder. The latter's eyes reddened as he handed the scroll and the amplification artifact to Yin Zhongxiu.
"I will continue to announce the specific battle situation of this Xishan campaign."
"The Near Banner Army, thirty thousand strong, led by General Ji Chang, established three defensive lines on the outskirts of Xishan, spanning a hundred miles. They held their ground for seventeen hours, killing countless monstrous spirits. After the Strange Night ended, two thousand two hundred and ten survived. Among them, three hundred and nineteen were severely wounded. Seventy-four died of their severe wounds after returning to the city. One thousand two hundred and ninety suffered minor injuries. Six hundred and one went missing. Despite extensive searching, only the bodies of three were found..."
Yin Zhongxiu spoke at a steady, unhurried pace, his voice devoid of emotion as he read out these numbers.
Everyone present, whether related to the Near Banner Army or not, stood in solemn respect.
Some brave men could not help but redden their eyes in public, kneeling and facing the direction of Xishan as if mourning the fallen heroes.
These few lines of text had shattered countless families, leading to widespread weeping.
Previously, some still held out hope that their loved ones were not dead but missing. But now that the results were announced, only three of the missing had been found, and even then, their bodies.
Xishan was too dangerous for everyone to escape through the Strange Night for hours, facing countless great demons and monstrous spirits, and then return safely to Budao City like Yin Zhongxiu.
"I cannot escape responsibility for the heavy casualties of the Near Banner Army."
On the high platform, a young man with a well-defined face, clad in armor, with rough but textured skin, stood up and declared loudly.
Countless eyes were instantly drawn to him.
In their gaze, there was anger, hatred, and confusion, but more than anything, there was awe.
Yes, people revered him, a genuine, heartfelt awe.
For he was the youngest and most renowned general in the Strange Night Domain, and even the entire Great Xia, known as Ji Chang.
Though his past glory had faded, those living in the Strange Night Domain still recognized his face.
And amidst the crowd, only a young man in plain clothes scratched his head. He looked around left and right, his eyes filled with confusion.
"His voice sounds barely older than mine, but his face looks so aged?"
Xu Mu muttered in confusion as he looked at the armored youth speaking on the platform.
"General Ji has led troops in battle for years, and during times of peace, he personally leads his troops in drills under the scorching sun every day. Naturally, he doesn't appear young."
Xu Mu turned to see a stout man sighing with melancholy.
"My brother's child was enlisted in the Near Banner Army as soon as he came of age. This time in Xishan, he reportedly encountered a soul-stirring fox demon head-on."
"According to him, if not for General Ji Chang's timely intervention, he and his scout team would have already become souls of the departed."
Hearing the man's lament, the surrounding people's expressions immediately turned complex.
"Alas, my sister's child was not so lucky. The team he was in reportedly encountered a pack of mutated demon wolves that bit off his lower body. He bled to death before he could even return to the city."
"My family too..."
Xu Mu's unintentional remark instantly ignited a lively discussion among those around him. Only when the general on the platform bowed deeply with his helmet in his hands did the square fall silent again.
Then, almost all the citizens in Budao City square, except for those who were disabled or too severely injured to move, bent over and respectfully returned the gesture.
Xu Mu, his face covered with a black scarf, stood in place, not bowing. He was puzzled as to why this man was so favored by the masses.
After all, in Great Xia, civilians and soldiers had always been at odds.
"So, he's Ji Chang."
As Xu Mu was pondering, a familiar female voice reached his ears.
He turned and saw a woman with clear, gentle eyes.
This was none other than the young lady from the Nangong clan of the Hundred Races Alliance, who was temporarily staying at his home.
"You know him too?"
Xu Mu's expression was one of surprise.
One was a young general from the northwest of their Great Xia Dynasty, and the other was a young lady from a prominent family of the Hundred Races Alliance.
They were seemingly worlds apart, separated by hundreds of thousands of miles.
"Of course, I know him."
The woman nodded. She gazed at the young man on the stage, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
The first time she awakened her abilities, she had heard of Ji Chang's name.
At that time, he was the top genius of Tiannan Academy, a figure of immense prestige. So many people wished to catch a glimpse of him. Although she wasn't particularly interested, she was curious about what Ji Chang looked like.
Not long after her curiosity, her most admired brother became one of Ji Chang's defeated opponents.
And her brother, after losing to Ji Chang, became utterly dejected. He actually severed his sword-wielding arm with his own sword, cut out his tongue so he could no longer speak, and jumped into the forbidden area behind the mountain.
He clamored to join a Buddhist sect, living like a madman day after day. His family tried to save him, but all attempts failed.
Thinking of this, the white-veiled woman sighed softly. Her brother, once a prodigy of his generation, undefeated among his peers, had ultimately been driven to madness by that man...
"He looks much more haggard and weak than the rumors say."
The woman observed carefully, as if trying to etch Ji Chang's appearance into her memory, to seek revenge later.
"He leads troops in battle every day and has little time for cultivation. Naturally, he is haggard."
Nangong Mao Guan also appeared beside Xu Mu, sighing with emotion.
He was an elder of the Nangong family and naturally knew that the prodigy whom their Nangong family had considered the next clan leader seven years ago had gone mad because of this man.
However, he harbored no resentment.
That battle had been fair and just. If he lost, he could only blame his own lack of skill.
"What this young man did back then shook the entire cultivation world."
"However, seeing him bow his head today is indeed surprising to me."
Nangong Mao Guan looked at the youth on the stage, who was silently bowing in apology, and gently stroked his beard.
"If he had bowed to the Xia Emperor like this back then, perhaps this genius who shook the esper world wouldn't have been demoted to this place."
"If he hadn't wasted seven years, he would probably have already seen the threshold of a Domain Lord by now."
The old man sighed softly. He remembered very clearly.
Ji Chang was in the third realm at twenty-two years old, and at twenty-nine, he was still in the third realm. Although the Strange Night Domain placed great restrictions on becoming a Domain Lord, with his talent, reaching the Domain Lord realm should not have been difficult for him.
The only explanation was that due to the events of that year, this genius had been affected. Moreover, he was in this remote and unsuitable place for cultivation, without spiritual medicine to aid him, hence his current state.
Listening to the old man's words, Xu Mu became even more curious about the young general on the high platform.
Who exactly was this person who could be famous throughout the cultivation world, to the point where even a Domain Lord from the Hundred Races Alliance knew his name and was certain he had a chance to become a Domain Lord by forty?
And what stories lay behind bowing to the Xia Emperor and being demoted?
...