The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 310 I owe you too much
The Gu King worked non-stop for a whole day and night before he managed to reorganize the affairs of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave. Of course, convicting the village chief and others who had colluded with the Poison King in the past was the top priority, in order to deter people.

Hundreds of people were exiled to the impoverished areas of southern Xinjiang alone, and the number would have been far more if a number of people had not died in the war.

The second thing was to immediately contact the tens of thousands of elite soldiers who were returning from Nanping State but were delayed all the way by the Nanping Army. Xiao Yan naturally handed a letter to Gong Yang Zuo in advance. Now that the overall situation in the Ten Thousand Poison Cave was settled, as long as the King of Gu revealed a little bit of his attitude of letting bygones be bygones, these tens of thousands of elite soldiers who had been bewitched by the King of Poison would not need to continue to resist.

Raojiang covers the entire Ten Thousand Mountains. The Wandu Cave seems to have the ruling power, but the eighty-one villages in Beijiang, Raozhong, and Nanjiang all have greater or lesser independence. The Wandu Cave only has the right to levy troops on each village, and the changes of village leaders must also be reported to the Wandu Cave. Apart from that, the Wandu Cave does not have the power to handle centralized affairs such as tribute, appointment of positions in each village, etc.

It can be said that Raojiang can be regarded as a pile of loose sand under the feudal system. The Ten Thousand Poison Cave is just the Zhou royal family that was jointly elected. Moreover, this "Zhou royal family" only has absolute ruling power over its own piece of land. To step out of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, it depends on whether the Gu King and the former Poison Lord have deterrent power over the various villages.

Therefore, Raojiang cannot be regarded as a political power, and there is no question of its national strength. As soon as tens of thousands of elite soldiers returned, they had to be disbanded in various camps because the Wandu Cave was unable to bear the expenses required to support tens of thousands of people.

However, the promotion conference initiated by the Gu King in recent years has made up for the shortcomings of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave to a certain extent. Generally speaking, each village regards the promotion system as a channel for upward mobility, which indirectly reflects this relationship between the upper and lower levels.

But after Xiao Yan's proposal, the Gu King agreed to select more than a thousand elite soldiers from the army after its return, and combine them with the two thousand people in the coalition force to form a standing army that would only be used by the Ten Thousand Poison Cave.

There is no way around it. After a war, most of the nearly 1,000 elite poison masters in the Ten Thousand Poison Cave were lost. Half of the elites were taken away by the Poison King to be sacrificed to the God of War, and a small half of the remaining half were killed in the conflict. The deterrent power of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave was greatly reduced. With only the prestige of the King of Poison, there won't be any problem in the short term, but it may be solved after a year or two.

Yuan Tiangang's move of cutting off the source of the problem was very effective. Although Xiao Yan obtained a territory close to him, he still had a lot of troubles and would need to worry for a year or two.

However, this trip was ultimately fruitful. Raojiang had great potential. Although the populations of the various villages varied, generally speaking there were tens of thousands of households. If the "slaves" of each village were counted, there might be 20,000 to 30,000 households. The resources were also abundant, not to mention the existence of cheating methods such as "witchcraft". Xiao Yan had already witnessed how difficult it was for an organized group of witches to be on the battlefield.

All he needs to do next is to provide a few batches of supplies to the Ten Thousand Poison Cave to a certain extent, and then he can wait for the Ten Thousand Poison Cave to recover. As for registering the people and transforming the entire Raojiang system to produce and pay taxes, Xiao Yan just mentioned it to the Gu King and was not in a hurry. Before that, promoting exchanges between Raojiang and Central Plains was the top priority.

In the past nearly one hundred years, Raojiang can almost be said to have been self-contained and became a place isolated from the world, and the only communication between it and the Central Plains was through life and death.

Fortunately, the Gu King was very sincere and promised that as long as Xiao Yan needed him, the entire Raojiang would immediately submit to him, and the Wandu Cave would also fully cooperate in matters such as registering the people.

What King Gu said at that time was very serious. It was submission, not dependence, which meant acknowledging Xiao Yan's ruling status. That is, Xiao Yan could set up government offices, appoint officials, promulgate laws, etc. in Raojiang, and Raojiang would fulfill its obligations such as paying tribute and taxes.

King Gu has an indescribable attitude towards Yuan Tiangang, but frustration and anger are inevitable. From this incident, he has realized that if Raojiang continues to stick to its own ways, it will only become more backward and gradually become an uncivilized and barbaric place. The right way is to integrate into the unified dynasty and promote cultural exchanges.

The chaos in the world is not just the Central Plains' problem. Even if Raojiang is isolated from the world, it cannot stay out of it.

Instead of sitting around and waiting to be invaded by the Central Plains forces in the future, it is better to take the initiative. At least Xiao Yan is not a tyrannical person. After dealing with the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, King Gu discussed many political measures with Xiao Yan and had long realized that Xiao Yan could not be someone who was willing to be a minister under the rule of Daliang.

Although the Gu King was not clear about Xiao Yan's specific identity, he could guess through Yuan Tiangang's various actions against Xiao Yan that this heroic young man did not seem like a so-called dark star who betrayed the Bad People.

Xiao Yan only stayed in the Ten Thousand Poison Cave for three days and did not stay any longer.

In response to King Gu's proposal, he only said that there was a long way to go, and at that time in the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, Xiao Yan also said with a smile that his current temple was too small and it was not yet time to accommodate Rao Jiang. If he had achieved something in two years, he would definitely invite King Gu to work together to bring peace to the world.

Compared to his time in Hebei and Mobei, Xiao Yan did not have the feat of sleeping overnight on the Queen Mother's bed in Raojiang, and his reputation seemed far inferior. When he left Raojiang, only a dozen people saw him off.

But among those who saw him off, there was not a single person of low status.

The Gu King Chi Li.

Because she is still young, the Saint Chi Meng needs to stay and help the Gu King, holding back her tears with red eyes.

You Chuan, the junior priest who has decided to go to Twelve Caves to become the disciple of the master.

The five venerable ones who are as close as brothers to the Gu King are also considered the five most powerful Gu Masters in the Ten Thousand Poison Cave except for the Gu King.

Guishi Zi Xiaoweng.

The leader of Jiuli Village was a man who made up for his crime with meritorious service. Although he had many thoughts, he was still capable. He also cooperated with the troops at that time, so Jiuli Village was the first large village to move into the Ten Thousand Poison Cave.

In addition, there are also the chief of the Dan tribe, the leaders of the younger generation of the Dan tribe, Tu Luoshi and Migeshu, the witch doctor of the Wandu Cave, the chiefs of more than ten large villages, and the chief of the first Rao village encountered after entering Raojiang, Zangke Village, and so on.

It is worth mentioning that Zangke Village was the village that spared no effort in supporting Chi Meng. It could be said that it mobilized the entire village to fight. Although there was no Gu Master in the village, the villagers were fearless and brave. It was the second village to move into the Ten Thousand Poison Cave after Jiuli Village.

Although Xiao Yan did not show much of his ability in front of them, and his true strength was only known to a few people including Chi Meng and Gu Wang, he left a deep impression on everyone in the past few days, especially on Saint Chi Meng, who had a delicate relationship with him, and Gu Wang's attitude towards him was also quite telling, so no one dared to despise this "Mr. Xiao" from the Central Plains, and everyone saw him off respectfully.

Xiao Yan and Ji Ruxue wore conical hats and rode away on horseback. They had already said everything they wanted to say, so Xiao Yan just mounted his horse from a distance, waved his arm high without looking back, and rode north.

Ji Ruxue was quite touched. She turned around and clasped her fists towards everyone, especially Chi Meng, then she lowered her hat and rode her horse to catch up with Xiao Yan.

It was at this time that Chi Meng finally couldn't hold back her tears. After spending half a year together, she and Xiao Yan had become more like family than family. Ji Ruxue appeared cold on the outside but was warm on the inside. She took care of her like an older sister along the way. Even though Chi Meng occasionally held her back, Ji Ruxue never complained. Although she looked cold, every detail revealed her gentleness. Chi Meng had already secretly identified herself with this young lady.

As for Xiao Yan, whom the girl did not hide her feelings for, Chi Meng had already become dependent on him. She stuck to Xiao Yan like a little follower all day long, and gave many of her favorite snacks to this little pot boy without any effort. She just short of writing the words "I like you" on her face.

And at the beginning of all this, it was just a man in green shirt falling from the sky and suddenly caught Chi Meng's eyes.

But unfortunately, the two had to return to the Central Plains eventually and could not stay in Raojiang forever. As the Saint of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, Chi Meng had no intention of leaving at this time. She just made an agreement with Xiao Yan and the others that after two years when they grew up, she would go find them, and then travel together to the south of the Yangtze River, visit Chang'an together, and walk through the mountains and rivers of the Central Plains together.

Even the young disciple Hou Qing said goodbye and left in advance, without even saying goodbye to Xiao Yan and the others. Chi Meng didn't even have time to give the farewell gift to Hou Qing.

Seeing that the Saint was crying, everyone did not dare to ask more questions. They all bowed to the Gu King and left. There were still many trivial matters to deal with in the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, and it was not time to end them yet.

For example, what Xiao Yan reminded the Gu King about before, that is, those strange altars that had been hidden by the Poison Lord for many years. Although the Poison Lord had no chance to open them, as long as the God of War was alive, these things would be hidden dangers. The Ten Thousand Poison Cave should spare no effort to find and destroy these things, and rescue the living. Those who were sealed in advance by the Poison Lord must be very powerful. If one person could be rescued, the strength of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave would increase by one point.

You Chuan glanced at Chi Meng and sighed. He didn't say much, nor did he go up to comfort her. He just said goodbye to the Gu King.

The Gu King kept gazing in the direction where Xiao Yan and the other two were leaving, feeling very emotional. If it weren't for Xiao Yan, the Ten Thousand Poison Cave would probably no longer exist. Chi Meng, him, You Chuan, and even the entire Raojiang, might not have survived to this day, and there was no way they could have solved the great threat of the Poison King so quickly. Now that Xiao Yan had left, the Gu King even felt as if his goal was blurred.

So facing You Chuan's farewell, the Gu King just smiled and slapped him on the shoulder, saying: "Why, is the Twelve Caves really that good? I don't have the strength of the Twelve Caves' masters, but I'm not bad, right? After you leave, who will take over as the Witch King?"

You Chuan was speechless.

The Gu King glanced at Chi Meng, who was secretly sad, sighed, patted You Chuan's shoulder gently, and said, "Uncle, I know your thoughts. In the past few years, I did want to entrust Chi Meng to you, but the little girl has grown up. As a father, I can't interfere with what she thinks. As an elder, I won't interfere too much between you, and it's impossible for me to tell you to give up this idea. But uncle, I have watched you grow up, and I know your abilities and skills. It won't be difficult for you to surpass me and Chi Li in the future. It's not a good thing for a man to be trapped by love. There are many good girls in Raojiang, maybe..."

You Chuan smiled and said, "Uncle, there is no need to say more. I am not the kind of person who would bother about anything. Chi Meng has someone she loves, and I have already understood that. From now on, I will only treat her as my own sister. As for introducing the girl to you, please don't make it difficult for me for now..."

The Gu King was very pleased. He patted You Chuan on the shoulder without saying much. He just sent Chi Meng away, and walked with You Chuan with his hands behind his back with some emotion, saying, "Since you have thought it through, your uncle will not say anything more. But Chi Meng's heart is in the Central Plains. I may not be able to keep her in the future, and there is no reason to keep her. If so, there may be no one to take over as the Gu King. So if you stay, the burden of the Ten Thousand Poison Cave will inevitably be more on your shoulders. Although I asked you to stay just now, it actually depends on your personal opinion. If you don't want to, Twelve Caves is indeed a good place to go."

You Chuan hesitated for a moment, and naturally understood that the Gu King wanted to train him as his successor. This was a decision that was well thought out.

You have to know that most of the Poison Lord's lineage has died or been exiled, and only You Chuan, the young priest, is still alive. Not to mention that You Chuan is the Poison Lord's adopted son. In any case, the father-son friendship of nearly twenty years is genuine. It doesn't matter what You Chuan himself thinks. Others will inevitably have some comments on You Chuan. This is more or less the reason why You Chuan bid farewell to the Ten Thousand Poison Cave and went to the Twelve Caves.

And King Gu really can’t choose any other successor except Chi Meng?
This is not the case. There are even many young men or other girls in the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, such as the children of the Five Venerables, who seem to be better than Chi Meng. It is not because of their strength, but because Chi Meng herself has too erratic personality and too simple mind, so she cannot be considered a qualified heir.

But the Gu King revealed this to You Chuan. Wasn't it because he valued You Chuan's character and ability, as well as their kinship over the years? You Chuan knew the Gu King's character very well. As long as he accepted it, the Gu King would never regret it. However, this would inevitably lead to more resistance for the Gu King. After all, You Chuan was the adopted son of the Poison Lord, and in the eyes of most people, the Poison Lord died at the hands of everyone.

Finally, You Chuan simply said sincerely: "Uncle, please give me some time to think about it..."

The Gu King laughed and said, "Don't worry. If you really want to leave the Ten Thousand Poison Cave, don't hesitate because of me. If you have made up your mind, I, your uncle, will personally send you to the Twelve Caves!"

You Chuan nodded in agreement. The relationship between him and King Gu was uncle and nephew. King Gu's guidance to him over the years was no less than that of Du Gong. After all, King Gu was not just talking when he said that he wanted to entrust Chi Meng to him in his early years.

But immediately, the Gu King's expression changed.

Before You Chuan could react, he saw a figure suddenly falling from the sky, and the Gu King was pressed to the ground at the same time.

You Chuan was dumbfounded. He immediately saw the figure clearly and immediately clasped his fists awkwardly: "Hello, aunt..."

Xian Shen didn't even raise his head, stepped on the Gu King's back, and just waved to You Chuan: "It's none of your business."

Although You Chuan had not witnessed the scene where Xian Shen beat up the Gu King in the temple that day, he knew that this senior from the Twelve Caves was the Gu King's first wife and Chi Meng's mother. It was naturally inconvenient for him to stay in such a scene for long, so he immediately said goodbye and left.

The Gu King was stepped on, but he was extremely happy and asked hurriedly: "Wife, how did you get out of the Dead Creek Forest!"

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Xian Shen stared at him, ignoring him, and asked angrily, "Chi Li, you idiot, where is my son-in-law!?"

The Gu King looked confused and struggled to get up: "What son-in-law?"

Xian Shen sighed: "Well, well, you hurried and hurried, but you were just one step slower. Xiao Yan, such a good child, was let go by you! What should I do in the future!"

The Gu King dusted himself off and just frowned and said, "Xiao Yan has something important to go back for, why should I stop him? Wife, are you too..."

Xian Shen didn't want to listen, and grabbed Gu Wang's ear, saying angrily: "Then don't you know to let him take our daughter away with him! The Central Plains is so big, there are so many good girls, in two years, what if our daughter falls in love with him! You, if you had known earlier, you should have made an agreement with this young man. I have already prepared a dowry for our daughter..."

The Gu King was stunned for a moment, he had not expected this.

But Chi Meng's anxious and embarrassed voice suddenly came from behind: "Oh, Mom! This is none of Dad's business!"

Xian Shen turned around and immediately put on a distressed expression. He kicked the Gu King away, walked forward, held Chi Meng's hand and walked down the mountain.

The Gu King rubbed his legs and staggered after him, only to hear the sound of fresh ginseng coming from the front.

"I agreed to pick you up in two years? That's about right... I'm not anxious, but I can't let go of the one I like. Don't you know how stupid your dad was? How could I, your mom..."

The Gu King looked at the backs of the mother and daughter, smiled, and then asked carefully.

"Wife, can you leave Dead Creek Forest now?"

"Humph, Twelve Caves doesn't want me anymore! Why, don't you want me to take care of you?"

"miss you!"

Although the Gu King had some small guesses, he was still overjoyed after hearing these words. In just a moment, his eyes were filled with tears. Then, avoiding the sight of the mother and daughter, he rubbed his eyes, looked up at the sky, and could no longer speak.

Xian Shen was actually a little touched in her heart, but she didn't show it immediately. She was still a little reserved in front of Chi Meng.

But it was precisely because of this that she became more grateful to Xiao Yan and wanted to accept this great son-in-law as her.

Chi Meng didn't know the inside story, he just stood there, looking to the north, and whispered: "If Xiao Guoguo and the little sister knew, they would definitely be very happy..."

Xian Shen smiled, rubbed her head, and said gently: "Tell him later, he will be happy just the same."

The Gu King stood behind, also speechless.

Their family owed Xiao Yan too much.

------

Xiao Yan and Ji Ruxue headed westward to Panyu to meet up with Gong Yangzuo and his group of bad people, and to deal with the affairs of Nanping State. After that, they would return to Changsha by water.

But just after leaving Raojiang's jurisdiction, he met Qianwu who was chasing him.

Xiao Yan was a little surprised, because Qian Wu was alone. The two had agreed beforehand that if things went well, Xiao Yan would write a letter to invite Qian Wu and a group of Luohua Cave Girls to go to Central Plains.

I didn't expect Qian Wu to bring this matter forward.

As for this explanation, Qian Wu only said that he wanted to have some contact with the empress in advance to see what kind of person she was. As for the girl from Luohua Cave, she had already asked a deputy cave master to lead her back to Luohua Cave, and the Ten Thousand Poison Cave would also take good care of her.

During this period, Qian Wu was willing to serve as Xiao Yan's maid, taking care of Xiao Yan's daily life, etc.

Xiao Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and Ji Ruxue was even more stern. However, Qian Wu had chased him alone for hundreds of miles, and there was no reason for her to go back alone. Xiao Yan was unable to dissuade Qian Wu from this idea, and he couldn't even use his identity as the Cave God to get rid of it.

Xiao Yan finally realized that what Qian Wu said before entering Huagu was not just empty talk: "Once I have arranged Luohua Cave, I will go after the cave god, no matter how far it is."

Xiao Yan had no choice but to let her go along, but only asked Qian Wu to stop insisting on the maid's words.

Qian Wu's personality is extremely cold and he doesn't talk much. After they met, he just followed the two of them silently. But what was surprising was that even when facing Ji Ruxue's somewhat rejecting attitude, Qian Wu always had a smile on his face and acted politely and considerately, which made Ji Ruxue feel annoyed and embarrassed.

Xiao Yan was helpless and could only pretend that nothing had happened, but Qian Wu even insisted on bringing the foot washing water to his feet. Xiao Yan had no choice but to make three more rules with Qian Wu, making it clear that there was no master-subordinate relationship between them.

In fact, if Ji Ruxue hadn't been around, Xiao Yan would have really been too lazy to care about it. He was a lazy guy who never even washed his clothes. It was always Ji Ruxue who did it for him. So it wasn't a big deal to have Qian Wu accompanying him.

But he really couldn't help but see Ji Ruxue's fierce look every time Qian Wu wanted to serve him. Xiao Yan always felt a little guilty about Ji Ruxue who had accompanied him through three years of ups and downs. How could he bear to make her unhappy over such a small matter, so he immediately drew a line between himself and Qian Wu.

Qian Wu didn't seem to mind at all afterwards, as if he had known Xiao Yan for many years. He followed him all the way without any complaints.

Fortunately, the three of them met another person soon.

The four masters of the Twelve Caves, and the twelve holy children whom she brought with her.

(End of this chapter)